Anna's Beginning

Alfred to the Rescue

Anna tried to pull her legs from under the beam, but it was just too heavy. Her eyes burned from the smoke, and her head throbbed. Every time she tried to sit up, her vision would go blurry and her head felt like it was cracked open. Placing her hand on the back of her head where she’d been hit, her hair was wet. Looking at her fingers, they were covered in blood. That’s lovely. Looking around Anna couldn’t see Bruce. He wouldn’t leave her in here would he?

“Bruce,” Anna called out, there wasn’t any response. She was finally able to push herself up. Placing her hands under the bead, she tried to lift it, but she wasn’t strong enough. Looking over the beam, she saw Bruce, he was pinned under an even larger beam than the one on Anna’s legs. She couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or dead. “Bruce!” He didn’t seem to be able to hear her.

Her heart started beating a hundred miles a minute, I can’t die like this, Bruce can’t die. Pushing with all her might, she tried to move the beam, she wasn’t going to go out like this. But just like earlier, that beam wouldn’t budge.

“Come on,” she said frustrated, tears forming in her eyes, “Bruce don’t you dare die on me. Oh where is Alfred?” All around her the house burned, portraits she’d looked at since she was young, turned to ash in front of her eyes, and Anna found herself giving up. She was pinned, too weak to move the beam, and her dad was most likely dead. Laying back, Anna cried, she wasn’t going to make it.

She’d been laying there, for what seemed an eternity, when she heard someone running up.

“Master Wayne!” Anna heard  Alfred yell, she could hear him struggling, maybe trying to lift something heavy, “now what is the point of all those bloody pushups if you can’t even lift a bloody log.” Pushing herself up Anna saw Bruce push the log off of himself.

“Alfred,” Anna yelled to get his attention, and it did the trick. Alfred, supporting Bruce, came over to her and with Bruce's help, freed her from the beam. Getting to her feet, Anna finally felt the pain shot through her right leg. Looking down, her pant leg was socked with blood and her leg was slightly bent at an awkward angle, it was broken. Alfred noticed the pain in her face, and offered to help her too. “No, you can’t carry both of us, I think I can walk.” Before Alfred could say anything, she limped over to the other side of Bruce, and grabbed his free arm. Alfred lead them back to the old piano room, where he used to give Anna piano lessons. Letting go of Bruce, Alfred went over to the piano and played three, very out of tune notes, making Anna cringe. The bookcase next to the piano slid open, to reveal a hidden elevator.

They all got on the elevator, Bruce slumping down, and Anna followed his example. Alfred hit a leaver, sending them downward, just as a fireball came in their direction. If Anna hadn’t been so out of it with pain, she probably would have been asking a million questions when they hit the bottom of the elevator, it was a ruff landing. Bruce looked up at the mansion, fire consuming it.

“What have I done Alfred?” he said sadly, “everything my family, my father built.” Anna felt all the color drain from her face, their home was gone.

“The Wayne legacy is more than brick and mortar sir,” Alfred said. He was looking at Bruce's side, blood stained his white shirt.

“I wanted to save Gotham,” Bruce said, “I failed.”