The Way We Fall | Bruce Wayne

CHAPTER 4 - Partnership

Sara recalled the job details. The task was simple - retrieve the specified documents and deliver them to a designated location. An anonymous insider prepared a file of critical documents and stored it behind the first tellers' counter. The informant provided an account number labeled on the front of the specific file, along with a barcode to scan upon exiting the building.

Sara was warned that the contents were confidential. It was none of her concern. She worked with no questions asked, as long as she got what she wanted.

From a nearby rooftop she watched the employees file out one-by-one from a back door. Once it got quiet, Sara cautiously slipped in through the door before it automatically locked itself and hid behind a nearby filing cabinet as the last few employees left.

All that were left now were a few security guards. Nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

Of course, there were security cameras to consider. However, the informant mentioned that the feeds were not monitored constantly when guards were present. They were only observed if there was a suspected security breach.  And by the time anyone realized, Sara would be long gone. With her identity concealed, she was unbothered.

She navigated the back rooms fairly easily, stopping only to glance at the sealed vault door.

Stepping into the large, dimly lit yet elegant room, she stopped to eye several security guards talking by the main entrance. As they were preoccupied, she made her way behind the tellers' counter.

The file was right where it was supposed to be. Sara referenced the number written on the front to what she'd been given, and it checked out.

Echoed footsteps made her raise her head to peek over the counter. The guards had finished their conversation. One walked into the hallway from which she came from. The others dispersed across the expansive room.

Sighing in frustration, Sara carefully approached the hallway, stopping first to peer around the corner. The guard must've entered one of the rooms.

She moved cautiously, light on her feet.

The click of a door sent her beneath a desk, remaining as still as a stone.

Sara watched the lower torso and legs of the guard walk past her. He continued into another room. She used the opportunity to advance toward the exit.

Upon reaching the door, she hastily scanned the provided barcode, which unlocked the exit.

And just like that, she was gone.

———

Mr. Riley was in a lighter mood the next morning. That was typically a good thing or, as Sara feared, a bad thing. Which of the two it was, she wasn't yet certain.

She had no choice but to wait to find out, as he was preoccupied in meetings all morning. They didn't speak until lunch.

"I made Wayne Enterprises a new proposal," he said as he filled a cup at the water cooler after everyone else was out of earshot.

Sara sat at a table, hoping to enjoy her blueberry muffin and not lose her appetite. "Which is?"

"Just as you suggested. A manufacturing partnership."

Maybe she would enjoy her lunch break after all. "And? Did they seem to be pleased with it?"

Mr. Riley briefly chuckled - a rare occurrence. "I'd say so. But you won't be."

She put the muffin down. "I don't want to know."

He sipped his water and ignored her remark. "There has to be a mutual agreement as to how this partnership will work. And it'll require some collaboration with other executives. You know how it works." He paused to take a bite of a croissant.

Sara waited with dread.

At last, he continued. "You will be assigned to negotiate a plan with Wayne Enterprises' majority shareholder."

Her appetite vanished. "With Bruce Wayne."

He shrugged. "It's part of the planning process. I've got no control over it."

Of course not. Sara wanted to protest, but she knew it was pointless.

Mr. Riley selected an apple from the plate of fruit and another croissant. "I expect they'll be sending you more information." He turned to leave. "And I suggest you actually read the emails."

Sara returned to her office with a twisted stomach and a developing migraine.