Chapter Four

Bruce opened up the boarded up well and climbed in. As a child, he was afraid of bats and now he was going to make that fear his strength. Deep beneath the well was a cave which Bruce and Alfred renovated to the best of their ability.

Bruce also altered his suit; giving the helmet bat ears, adding a cape, and painting a golden bat logo on the chest.

As well as that, he payed Wayne Tech's business manager, Lucius Fox, to construct several bat-themed tools and weaponry. Deep down, Lucius had a feeling about what Bruce was going to use the equipment for but he didn't care. He was sick of the violence just as much as Bruce was.

After parking his armored car that Alfred dubbed "the batmobile", Bruce grappled up to a rooftop. Suddenly a man ran up to an old couple having dinner outside. He started smashing the plates, glasses, and table with a bat and then preceded to hit the couple with it. Bruce glided down there, grabbed the bat, and threw it down.

"You want a piece a me, freak?!" the man yelled.

Bruce and the criminal had a quick fight that ended with him holding the thug up to a wall.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I am..." Bruce started to say. "vengeance."

Bruce punched the thug unconscious and grappled away to the astonishment of the old couple.

"Who was that?" the old woman asked.

"I think he said he was from Venice." the old man replied.

The next morning everyone was talking about what happened.

"This just in." said Fox News anchor Summer Gleeson. "We're getting reports of a masked figure dressed as a bat saving an elderly couple from a violent rioter. We have dubbed this person 'The Bat Of Gotham'. Just to clarify, we don't condone violence from either side."

"Breaking news!" exclaimed Jack Ryder. "A masked man attacked a protester last night. Reports are saying he was dressed like a bat. And now a statement from Mayor Cobblepot."

"I think we need to crack down on far-right lunatics like this, disturbing the peace." the mayor said. "He needs to be stopped."

"Well, you don't exactly have public support." Alfred said as he paused the tv.

"It's the loud minority, Alfred." Bruce said while doing pull-ups. "I'm sure most people are sick of this lawlessness."

Alfred pressed play on the tv remote.

"And now a statement from Police Commissioner Harvey Bullock." said Jack Ryder.

"I'm planning to assemble a task force to defeat this guy. You can't just go around kickin' people's asses." Bullock said.

"That's going to be a problem." Alfred said, worried.

"Yes, it will." Bruce responded, pausing the tv. "But look in the background."

"It's Captain Gordon. Looking rather uncomfortable." Alfred observed.

"While I was away, I took a few classes on the art of deduction." Bruce explained. "It's the subtle things. His slightly slumped posture, the avoidance of eye contact with Bullock, the attempt at an emotionless expression that's leaning towards anger. He's not fully on board with this."

"Perhaps you're shadowy friend could talk some sense into him." Alfred suggested.

"Elementary, my dear Alfred." Bruce said.