The Way We Fall | Bruce Wayne

CHAPTER 6 - Silhouette

"You look a lot different in person." Her modulated voice spoke with mock confidence. Never show your fear. She looked him up and down. "Taller. But those ears are pretty silly looking."

She heard enough about the vigilante to know that she only saw him because he wanted to be seen. She'd be lying if she told herself she wasn't afraid.

"The car isn't what you think it is." His voice was gravelly, intentionally deepened.

"And how would you know that?" She stalled as she mentally prepared an escape plan. There wouldn't be time to climb over the barbed wire. "You're a car guy?"

"The moment you hot-wire it, you'll have every officer in the district after you."

"I think you underestimate my abilities." In an instant, she dropped a canister of tear gas from her belt and leaped behind another car, swiftly moving between rows.

She moved as one with the darkness. From one car to another, her heart pounded in her ears as she tried to hastily navigate the impound yard. Keeping her head down to avoid detection, it seemed like a dark maze. The only way out was marked by a streetlight. The dull light illuminated her escape.

As she was about to duck behind a pickup truck, she felt a blunt force knock her to the ground.

"You underestimate mine."

She laid on the pavement out of breath, attempting to regain composure. The Batman towered over her. He only stood there and watched, perhaps amused.

Sara scrambled to her feet again. Her mind wandered to the weapons on her belt. "You know how many people have their cars stolen in Gotham? Surely Batman has better things to do than stopping simple theft."

Shouting could be heard coming from the exit. Sara turned to see the guards coming toward her. When she looked back, he was gone.

"GCPD!" The security guards had drawn their guns, aiming at her.

In one swift movement, she threw another canister of tear gas and bounded behind an adjacent row of cars. It didn't work on Batman, but it'd work on them.

She made her way to the exit, passing beneath the streetlight briefly before finding shelter in the shadows of an alleyway.

With her back pinned to a wall, she peered around the corner. Two more police cars arrived. Officers stepped out of the car and entered the impound yard.

By the time they looked in the alleys, she'd be long gone. Sara let out a sigh and looked down at her watch. There was no going back to the yard. She reported that the job was unsuccessful.

As she looked up to a fire escape, she caught a glimpse of something standing on an adjacent rooftop. The silhouette of the Batman.

————

Sara nearly overslept on Monday morning. The aching of her arm reminded her of the previous night's encounter. It'd be sore for a while, courtesy of Batman.

She arrived at the office on time, barely.

Sitting at her desk, she reviewed document drafts. The events of last night lingered in her mind even as she worked. The vigilante hadn't actually tried to prevent the theft. He had only warned her. The moment you hot-wire it. . .

It wasn't a theft. It was supposed to be a distraction.

"Ms. Carter?" Cathy's voice interrupted her thoughts. She hadn't noticed her assistant entering her office.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Wayne is here."

Sara glanced at the clock on her wall. It was already 11. How did two hours pass so quickly? She started to organize and put aside the documents.

"You can let him in."

Cathy disappeared, and shortly after, Sara looked up to see Bruce Wayne enter.

"Good morning, Mr. Wayne." As the professional she was, Sara stood from her chair and stepped around her desk to shake his hand.

His mouth tilted in what she could only assume was a smirk. "Good morning."

They shook hands before Sara gestured to the empty chair before her desk. "Please, have a seat." She returned to her chair as he sat. The change of atmosphere gave her a new sense of strength. This time, he was in her territory. Yet, there was still an incessant tension that made her wish she had left a window open. "Could I get you anything? Water, coffee?"

"No, thank you." There was a familiar flame in his eyes - the kind that could light a spark. She'd seen the same during their first meeting, although she had kept her distance. Sara knew better than to trust it. Gotham Tech was lying in the balance, and he was perfectly capable of changing his mind. He could change her world with pen and paper.

Sara cleared her throat. "Mr. Wayne, I'd first like to thank you for your consideration on behalf of Gotham Tech. Secondly," she felt like she was suffocating, "I would like to apologize for my actions at our first meeting."

She hated giving him the satisfaction. She hated the smile on his face that she'd seen many times on television. She hated knowing that he always got his way.

"There's no need for apologies, Ms. Carter," he began. "Now, I know we both have busy schedules. Let's get to work on this."