Bruce Wayne

Chapter 39: Prototypes

Bruce entered the workshop to find Alfred seated behind a grinder. A shower of white sparks flew from the grinder as Alfred honed the edge of a piece of metal he held in his gloved hands.

"Alfred?" Bruce called out to get his attention.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said in pleased surprise. He shut off the grinder, lifted his goggles from his eyes, and leaned back from the machine before handing Bruce the item he'd been working on. "What do you think?"

Bruce took the offered item carefully, holding the still warm metal up and letting the light glint off its polished edge. A flat disc rested against the fingers of his right hand, but the metal extending out to the left gave the impression of a misshapen axe head or mining tool. The furthermost edge on the left was beveled and sharp.

"It looks deadly," Bruce observed as he carefully turned the object over. "What's this for?"

"It's only half of the total unit," Alfred explained. "Here's an unsharpened version of the completed piece."

Bruce took the assembled unit, and when he compared it to the one he held, he realized the sharpened piece he'd been holding was only the left side. On the assembled unit, the right side was a mirror reflection of the left with the two pieces joined in the middle where their attached discs stacked on top of each other. The completed pattern created a representation of sharp edged bat wings spread wide.

"I installed a pair of spring-loaded pins inside the central disc," Alfred explained. "They're designed to fold for easier storage when you carry them, but with a simple flick of the wrist, they snap open and lock. Press the center to release the pins."

Bruce pressed an embossed bat symbol on the central disc, identical to the shape of the metal wings. A soft click triggered, and the wings folded in the middle, swiveling around the central disc to become more compact. Hanging on to one end, Bruce flicked his wrist and snapped the wings open again.

"A bat boomerang," Bruce marveled.

"A batarang?" Alfred suggested.

"Why not? It's an impressive design, and I like the folding ability," Bruce complimented. "I'm not sure about the sharp edges."

"It's not for throwing at people," Alfred denied. "The unsharpened one is for them. It's heavier but dull. It won't cut, stab, or lacerate. The sharpened ones are for use on the tires of getaway cars so they won't get away. Just don't get them mixed up."

"I'll try to remember that," Bruce promised.

                                                                                                  ***

Three Months Later...

"Master Bruce," Alfred called out as he exited the elevator into the cave. "Are the expenditures I've seen absolutely necessary?"

"Which expenditures?" Bruce questioned in return as he emerged from a side passage.

"You're now sponsoring a racecar?" Alfred inquired. "What possible purpose does supporting a racing team have to do with helping Gotham, besides increasing tourist trade?"

"Come with me," Bruce answered. He ushered Alfred into a different chamber of the cave and pulled a white sheet off an object he had sitting in the center of a large platform.

As the white fabric was pulled away, the skeletal frame of a powerful car was revealed. Gleaming steel and polished chrome, the vehicle didn't have an exterior covering, but the large engine and complicated driver's seat were in place. The front of the car was long and flat, leaving the driver near the rear of the vehicle.