Bruce Wayne

Chapter 15: Stealth Approach

The dilapidated nature of the factory grounds worked to Bruce's advantage as he and Zatanna crept toward the old building. They were attired in matching ski masks, black pants, and long sleeved sweaters to maximize their ability to blend with the darkness and remain unseen. The broken lights in the parking lot added to the gloom of night, concealing them from anyone inside the derelict factory. 

Alfred was positioned in a van parked down the road, seated in front of a host of TV monitors. The screens displayed the thermal and night vision capabilities of the WayneTech satellite Bruce had "borrowed" for tonight's rescue mission.

Sindella was also waiting with Alfred in the van. Her magical powers would be needed if Bruce and Zatanna got into trouble they couldn't handle, but since two teenagers sneaking in would draw less notice, she'd been forced to wait in reserve.

"Hold a moment, Master Bruce," Alfred instructed through the earpieces Bruce and Zatanna wore. Alfred waited until the guard had moved away on patrol before giving Bruce new orders. "The guard is heading to your right, stay left, and you'll be able to avoid his notice."

Bruce didn't respond, not wanting his voice to give away his position. The guards might not see him, but hearing his voice would certainly alert them to someone else being on the property. Leading Zatanna around the left side of the car in the parking lot, Bruce headed toward the chain link fence encompassing the factory. The parking lot resided outside the fence, so to enter the interior, Bruce and Zatanna would have to get past the metal barrier without being seen or heard.

Zatanna held up her hands near the fence, whispering quietly. A violet mist of energy surrounded her hands, and a diminutive ring of the same color appeared within one of the openings in the chain links. As Zatanna continued to whisper, the ring expanded to six feet in diameter. The fence ceased to exist within the confines of the ring, opening a circular doorway for the two of them to cross. Bruce entered first, followed immediately by Zatanna. When they were both inside the fence, Zatanna ceased to whisper and dropped her hands. The glow of magical energy faded away from her hands, and the ring shrank away to nothing, restoring the fence in the process as if nothing had happened.

Moving with as much speed as they could without being detected, Bruce and Zatanna departed from the fence and hurried closer to the structure. They skirted the perimeter until they found the side door. Bruce, using the escape training he'd learned from Giovanni, deftly picked the lock and held the door open for Zatanna. The pair darted inside the building.

The interior of the factory was very well lit for a supposedly abandoned building. The numerous rows of industrial lights overhead were almost excessively bright; the intensity of the lights made the shadows much darker, perfect hiding places for Bruce and Zatanna. Originally used in the production of aircraft parts, the factory had massive work tables for assembling everything up to the size of an airplane wing.  Bulky machinery for cutting and polishing precision parts left very little room for anyone to walk. The floors were bare concrete, and the high ceilings had exposed beams of gray steel since the work being done here had been more important to the designers of the factory than aesthetics.

Bruce took the lead, heading for the unoccupied portion of the factory in the rear of the building. Housed in the back of the structure was a workshop for repairing or making new parts for the machines on the production floor. Rather than having to call in repairmen and halt work while the broken equipment was fixed, the owners of the factory had built their own workshop to craft anything they needed, ensuring repairs would be swift and cost effective. Located beside the machine shop was an electrical room where all the power cables were connected to the circuit breakers. Slipping inside the room, Bruce opened the panels for the circuit breakers and wired in a small, remote controlled amplifier before closing the panels again. At the press of a button, he could overload the circuit breakers, tripping them all at once and plunging the factory into darkness and confusion. He would've preferred a more permanent solution, but he lacked experience with explosives. He mentally added it to his training schedule as he realized demolition skills might come in useful.