The Way We Fall | Bruce Wayne

CHAPTER 29 - Familiar

Sara stared wide-eyed at the details. They'd have to be crazy to believe that she would willingly accept it. That, or plain stupid.

She knew they were neither.

Everything was deliberate. After discovering that Sara had survived, they undoubtedly weren't going to let her go. And now they presented her with a choice, knowing full well that she wasn't oblivious. There had to be a deeper purpose. The location wasn't coincidental either. It wasn't surprising that they'd return to target Wayne Enterprises again. Though if they wanted her to create another distraction, disabling fire alarms wouldn't be quite effective...

...unless they wanted to burn the place to hell.

Sara felt her stomach drop. Bruce was at Wayne Tower.

Surely, they didn't count on her actually completing the task, right? Maybe it was a trap to finish what they started. Of course they would expect her to jump at the possibility of anything related to Wayne. The only reason she'd ever gotten involved in the initial scheme was the anonymity of it all. Now, to be knowingly sabotaging her greatest business ally? Obviously, knowing her identity now, they had a well-thought out plan. Therefore they must have another strategy.

But could she take that chance?

They were capable of anything. The past few weeks proved that. And now, when she was aware of their next move, could she really just stay put? No. Especially not when the man who had stuck out his neck for her was in jeopardy. She owed him that much. The burden of guilt had been her ball-and-chain that still weighed her down everywhere she went. If she could do one thing to make up for it, it would be what she now set her mind to do.

Without a second thought, Sara locked the bedroom door and suited up. It was still second nature to her. She had assumed that, having been without it for so long, it would feel almost strange. Old habits don't die easily. Snapping the watch around her wrist, she shoved the empty metal box underneath the bed. The voice modulator hissed with static as it was activated for the first time in almost two weeks.

Catching a glance of her reflection in a mirror, she momentarily considered herself to be the crazy one. She'd have to be in order to believe that she alone had any power to stop whatever was planned to befall Wayne Enterprises. Not as a business executive or as a masked criminal. But could she live with herself knowing she never tried?

Especially if something were to happen to the young billionaire who regrettably proved to be successful in capturing her affections.

Sara stepped out onto the balcony and slid the door shut behind her. Scaling the outside of the second floor, she cautiously navigated around any windows. The last thing she needed was for Alfred to catch a glimpse of a wanted thief descending from her room.

Once on solid ground, she snuck through hedges and shrubs, minding her surroundings. Stealth wasn't made for broad daylight. That much was clear as branches and thorns got caught on her belt and ripped tears in the sleeves of her suit.

There was something she overlooked, however. Transportation. So accustomed to easy city travel, she'd forgotten exactly how great the distance was from the Palisades to Gotham City. Walking all that way was out of the question. As was attempting to hot-wire any of Bruce's vehicles. Though the motorcycle was tempting. So that called for a compromise. Sara carefully traveled by foot to the nearest neighborhood, watching to avoid detection. Finding a secluded Mercedes parked alone against a curb, she got to work. It took longer than she had initially thought, but after a while she was rewarded with the hum of an engine.

Driving into the city, she removed her mask so as to not be recognized in traffic. Only when she arrived to a parking garage did she put it on again.

Standing on the upper level of the garage, Sara overlooked the busy street and neighboring buildings. Wayne Tower stood tall a few blocks away.

This return to the familiar didn't have as much satisfaction as she expected. The former freedom she felt while standing above the bustling city paled in comparison to the serenity of the view from the manor. Skyscrapers cast shadows on the people of Gotham below, robbing them of the warm sunlight shining just beyond.

Sara leaped from the garage to an adjacent fire escape. Climbing the levels to a higher rooftop, she moved fast. If she could've been spotted in the middle of the night, there was no doubt someone would see her now in broad daylight. She had to get there before it happened.

Friction from her suit against her left leg reintroduced a stinging sensation from the burn that had not yet fully healed. It only worsened as she moved, but it didn't slow her pace.

Now standing on a building directly across from the tower, Sara reviewed the job details. According to the provided diagram, an alleyway around the north side led to the fire alarm control panel on the exterior of the building.

There were of course cameras around the perimeter, observing every inch of the premises. Given the recent events, their security would be dialed to eleven. She'd likely have only mere moments to disable alarms. But that wasn't what she was here for.

Something was planned, and she needed to find out what. And once she did, she'd have to figure out what exactly she could do about it.

Sara observed the activity just outside the building. A few people walked in and out of the lobby, others simply walked past. One car parked at a parking meter. A truck delivering jugs of water. Nothing significant.

There was more that she was missing. Taking s closer look, Sara navigated the rooftops until arriving at the north side. Descending the fire escape on the building sharing the alleyway, she tried to get a better look at the control panel. But from afar in the shadowy alley, she couldn't discern anything.

Scanning her surroundings, she took a deep breath and dropped down from the escape ladder. There would be mere seconds before security was alerted to her presence.

Quick on her feet, Sara bolted to the panel and opened it. Switches, buttons, and lights.

One thing she could understand - the alarms for most of the floors had already been deactivated.

With a sinking feeling settling in her stomach, she paused to listen for the inevitable footsteps that never came. She should've been seen on the cameras by now. In an instant, she could be out of sight if needed. But no one was coming.

Looking at the cameras, they didn't move and neither did a light blink. Nothing. They had been shut off.

Hands trembling, she closed the panel door.

Whatever plan they had, it was already in motion. And somehow, in some way, she was a part of it all.

But Sara only had one worry in her mind: Bruce.