"I saw your announcement at the hospital, Master Bruce," Alfred told him as Bruce climbed into the back seat of the shiny black car Alfred was driving.
"What did you think?" Bruce asked.
"You made an impressive speech," Alfred complimented. "I was rather surprised by your sudden generosity. With your plans to fight crime, rebuilding hospitals was unexpected."
"It needed to be done," Bruce replied. "Besides helping the people of Gotham who require a decent hospital, it also covers my activities. Because I'm rebuilding the hospital and maintaining a temporary facility, my purchasing of medical supplies and equipment won't raise any red flags. Some of what I bought will end up in the cave for my personal use."
"I hope you won't need the cave medical supplies on a regular basis, Master Bruce," Alfred said.
"Me too," Bruce agreed.
"Did you have this planned all along, Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired.
"Not entirely," Bruce denied. "I had originally intended on providing large amounts of inventory to the hospital as a charity donation, but after the GothCorp mess, I decided I could do better."
"Replacing a dangerously built hospital is an admirable accomplishment, Master Bruce," Alfred complimented.
Bruce smiled. "There's no point in tearing down the bad if we don't put something better in its place."
***
The sun went down in the west, and clouds covered the darkening sky, cutting off what little light was offered by the stars and moon. The grounds of Wayne Manor were concealed in gloom, and ominous shadows were cast by the sharply angled structure.
Bruce entered the garage attired in all black. Even though he planned on wearing a ski mask to cover his face, he'd still applied enough makeup and prosthetics to alter his appearance should the mask be lost in a scuffle.
Alfred was waiting in the van.
"Are you ready, Master Bruce?" he inquired of him.
"My training would say yes, but my nerves might argue the point," Bruce replied as he climbed into the van with his crime fighting accomplice.
"Where do you wish to go?" Alfred asked. He turned on the engine and opened the garage door by remote.
"There was police chatter about some shady deals going down near a gambling establishment called The Stacked Deck," Bruce informed him. "Why don't we start there?"
"Very good, Sir," Alfred accepted. He put the van in gear and departed from the garage. The headlights created cones of brightness, illuminating only the roadway in front of the van and little else.
Bruce and Alfred didn't speak on the entire journey. They'd undertaken missions before, but this would be the first incidence where they'd been unable to investigate ahead of time. They were going in blind and had no idea what might be waiting for them.
***
"Please be careful, Master Bruce," Alfred bid to him as he parked the van a block from the targeted building.
"I will do my best," Bruce promised. He pulled a ski mask down over his face. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous location."
YOU ARE READING
Bruce Wayne
FanfictionWhat does it take to be a hero? Orphaned at a young age, Bruce Wayne is plagued by nightmares of his parents' murder. His quest to fight against the fears in his own mind will lead him to discover the hero he can become. This is not a story about...
