Batman: Hero of Gotham

60- An Upgrade

Bruce arrived in the Batcave. He had called up Lucius to meet him there. Lucius was waiting for Bruce there. Bruce was able to retrieve the data that was connected to the code. It was a video. Bruce clicked play, prepared for the horror that may await him. The video started on Lady Arkham. "Bruce Wayne. You should be rotting in a padded cell. Now, your butler, the man who raised you like his own son, will suffer in your place. But don't worry...you'll get him back eventually. Piece by fucking piece." The camera then turned to show Alfred tied up in a chair. Lady Arkham smacked him across the face with her staff.

"Alfred." Lucius was astonished as the two of them watched Lady Arkham beat Alfred senselessly. Alfred adjusted his glasses after every hit.

"Alfred is paying the price for the things my family has done. I'm responsible for this." Bruce put his head in his hands.

"Alright, well. Then let's get to work."  Lucius sat down in a chair.

Bruce eventually noticed Alfred's adjustments. "He keeps adjusting his glasses." It took Bruce a minute to figure this out. "The reflection. He's making sure I see the reflection in his glasses. He knows that the batcomputer can use multiple reflection angles to recreate the room he's in. I can view the virtual image using the cowl."

"Good thinking, Alfred."

Bruce used the cowl VR to view the images. "Okay, Lucius. Freeze frame on the first signal Alfred gives."

"Will do." Lucius paused directly on the first clue. Bruce put on his cowl and got to work. He could see the location clearly. Two guards stood there. A camera pointed at Alfred. One of the mercs was holding his back. 

"He's wounded. Must be one of the thugs Alfred fought upstairs. The camera looks to have come from the Gazette's office." Bruce looked to the right.  "Stairs leading up. Cement walls. They filmed this in a basement. Al is trying to look at things that might give us a clue to where he's being held. Go to the next signal." Lucius skipped ahead. Bruce could now see more to the left. There was a sign on the water heater behind one of the mercs. "Rogers Plumbing...the service company for the water heater. I can use their records to find home addresses for their clients."

"We're getting closer."

"Next signal. Nothing else to see here." Lucius skipped ahead again. This time, Bruce had the best view. He could see a Masons stamp in the corner of the room. "A masons stamp."

"Only one Masonic Lodge in the city: Gotham City Fraternal Order of Stone Masons."

"So the house was built in 1945, by them. That's a big lead. Jump to Alfred's next signal." In this next view, Bruce could see out the basement window now. "A basement window."

"What's that outside?" There looked to be a sign of some sort dug in the ground outside. It wa sa bus stop sign.

"They're by a bus stop."

"There we go."

"Okay, I think we have enough to pinpoint a location."

"Let's hope."

Bruce took off his cowl and set it down. The two of them pulled up a three-dimensional map of the city to track down where Alfred was. They came up with the solution that he had been tortured at the Vales' home where the Vales were murdered. "I can't believe this. My suit, it's not ready to fight against this kind of evil. Her staff will dominate my worn out bat suit. I don't know if I'm ready for this. God."

"No need to worry. In case you do happen to run into her, I designed the newest addition to your recollection of luxurious items." Lucius pressed a button on the batcomputer that triggered a secret spot on the ground to open and showcase Lucius's creation. It was a new and improved bat suit. 

"What did you do?" Bruce was shocked.

"Something I almost didn't get to finish because of Penguin. But, luckily I did. Introducing...the Batman suit mark two! It's the most advanced version yet.

"Lady Arkham will have no idea what I've got up these sleeves." Bruce smirked. "Well done, Lucius."

"You've been long overdue for an upgrade. This suit is beyond state of the art." Bruce tried on the suit and it fit perfectly.

He hit his fists together and said to no one in particular, "This ends tonight."