Chapter 1

A young man at the start of his twenties is speeding on his motorbike on an unfamiliar road. He looked at his side mirror and saw lights beginning to appear. He clicked his tongue and began to curse under his breath. Multiple vehicles were currently chasing him.

"Tsk! Damn it."

He tried to lose them earlier by going on a strange road in the outskirts of Gotham. His original plan was to get out of the city but they blocked it. He was left with no other option but to take a road that had a sign that says "Private Property. No Trespassing.". He almost laughed at the thought of him having no options all his life ever since his father died.

The young man looked up ahead and a figure of a house began to form. He raced to it and it became bigger. Much bigger. It wasn't just a regular sized house. It was a mansion!

Soon, he recognized where he was. A place he only ever got to see through media. Whether it be the newspapers, television, or the internet. Wayne Manor. The residence of the late Bruce Wayne.

His death was shrouded in mystery. Dying a month after the news of Batman's death broke out. The official announcement was that he died of liver cancer. Despite his positive image of being a philantropist, he was also infamous for indulging himself in all kinds of debauchery. Attending a party and always making a scene whilst drunk.

The mysterious part about his death was him not having a funeral. He was buried almost immediately like they had something to hide. Thus rumors began to form. Some say that he's really not dead and just flew off to a private island to retire, away from the eyes of the media. Some say that he's actually batman but was proven false almost immediately after a newspaper brought up a past article with him and batman in the same picture.

The most popular rumor which was most probably true was that he was killed by a criminal organization or a business competitor after being free from the fear of batman's wrath.

"Shit!"

The youth was distracted so much by his thoughts that he didn't see the gates until it was only three meters away from him. He turned his bike slightly and pressed hard on the breaks.

KIIIIIIEEEEEE

The friction from the wheels and the asphalt made a screeching sound.

He was able to stop only a feet away from the gate.

Knowing that he is still not out of the woods yet, he immediately looked back to where he came from. The lights from the vehicles chasing him were getting brighter. It's only a matter of seconds until they can reach him.

He swiftly removed his helmet and looked at the gate. He jumped at it to start climbing until...

"Hold it right there, young man."

A voice stopped him. The voice had an english accent to it.

Then, a figure emerged from the shadows of the night.

It was an old man wearing glasses. Despite holding a cane, he had good posture. A sign of living a healthy lifestyle.

"Please get down from there."

The young man immediately realized who it was.

It was all over the news years ago. The headline said "Dead Billionaire, Bruce Wayne, leaves everything to his butler." It was Alfred Pennyworth.

"Hey! You own this place, right? We gotta go inside quick or they'll get you too!" The young man shouted in urgency.

"And who exactly are they?" The old man calmly replied.

"They're from the mutants! You know, the gang? Please, let's go inside! Now!"

"Well, how do I know if you're not part of them and you're just getting me to open my property for you?"

"Gugh!" The young man palmed his face in frustration.

vrrroom vroom vroom

The front of the gate soon became filled with motor noises.

"Hey, Gary. Aren't you going to introduce your friend?" A young man on a motorbike called out with a grin.

"Don..."

"Or is he your grandpa?"

"...He's neither. Leave him out of this. He's just some lost old man."

"Out here? Does he have dementia or something?"

"Probably. He wasn't even scared when I mentioned the name of your group."

"...our group? You're finally admitting you're a rat." Don said with an amused smile.

"Well, I guess I am." Gary replied with a thin smile.

Don then chuckled and said "Whatever. We still have to take the old man. He's still a witness. Get them boys." He said as he pointed to Gary and the old man with two fingers.

Gary punched and kicked two approaching men and simultaneously knocked them out.

"Time to run away, old man! I'll distract them while I still can."

"Hey! What are you guys doing?! Take him on with more numbers!" Don angrily shouted at the other men.

It's three on one this time while another ran towards the old man.

Gary punched but he got blocked and got kicked by another one in the stomach.

He clutched his stomach in pain before he dodged another kick and countered with a sweeping kick then stomped on a leg while the guy is down.

craaack

"Urghaaaah!" The man squirmed in pain.

"It's two versus one again." Gary said with a daring smile as he glared at the other two.

"Not quite."

It was Don. He finally got off his bike and approached Gary.

"Afraid to go at me alone, Don?" Gary said.

"I'd love to but I just don't have the time." He calmly replied with a smile.

"...I need to get this over with." He added

The fight resumed with a man charging into Gary with a punch but he dodged it and countered with a knee kick. Gary grabbed him and continuously knee kicked the man's stomach until another man charged in with a punch and successfuly hit him.

He was pushed back but he didn't get a chance to breathe because Don came charging in next with a roundhouse kick. Gary managed to block it with his shoulder and kicked Don on the leg.

A few exchanges later, Gary and Don were the only ones left standing.

Don, confused why there's no one left when they came with thirteen people looked and saw his members sprawled on the ground either knocked out or in pain.

"What the hell..." he uttered.

When they were fighting with Gary, two of his men tried to catch the old man but got knocked out with his cane, seeing this, the other men tried to take him on but also failed. He took out all eight of them.

Gary was also surprised by this sight.

Then the old man spoke...

"Get your friends and go. Leave." The old man grumbled and glared.

"Or what?" Don asked.

Alfred didn't say a word but instead...

Shwiiing

...he unsheathed a blade from his cane.

"F-fine..." Don replied.

"You got lucky this time, Gary. Don't ever show your face to us again." He said.

The other members that could still move through the pain got up and carried the others on their bikes.

Gary and Alfred watched them until they vanished in the darkness of the night.

"That was something, old man. You really got them." Gary amusingly said.

"You leave too." Alfred coldly replied before turning around and walking to the door.

Surprised by the cold reaction, Gary hurriedly chased after Alfred.

"Wha...w-wait. Wait. Just like that? I have so many questions right now."

"No. Leave." Alfred said.

"No, really. Where di you learn to- ouch!"

Alfred looked back at the sudden gasp.

Gary was apparently injured in the fight.

Alfred gazed at him for a while.

Gary looked back at him and questioned why he was staring for so long.

"What?"

"You can rest inside. No wandering." Alfred said swiftly.

"Th-thank you-"

"And no questions." Alfred added firmly.

He then followed Alfred inside the mansion. They left is bike at least inside the gate.

Gary was looking up and down then left and right. He was awestruck even before entering the front door.

Once they entered the house, a gasp escaped from his mouth.

What he could only see in movies or television shows is now in front of him. Paintings and other artworks that are probably worth millions. A knight's armor. A luxurious staircase.

He couldn't help but let his jaw slack.

"He left all of this to you?" He couldn't help but ask.

Alfred glared at him.

"Oh. Right. No questions." Gary said with his hands raised.

That couldn't have been more far from the reason he got angry by that question.

It's the "he" in the sentence. Pertaining to Bruce Wayne.

A stranger like him talking about Bruce's death nonchalantly.

"You'll have the couch for tonight." Alfred pointed out with his cane.

"Okay, thanks."

Gary hesitantly went to the couch and murmured "You have this big place and you can't even offer me a room. So stingy."

Later that night....

tok tok tok tok

The sound of a wooden cane echoed thoughout the halls of Wayne Manor. Gary woke up to it but he heard it getting closer until it stopped next to the couch and so he kept his eyes shut.

The source of the sound paused next to him before he uttered "...heavy sleeper".

Then, it walked away in the direction directly behind the couch Gary was in.

Gary took a peep at the source of the sound and he saw Alfred stopping in front of a piano.

Before Alfred could look back, Gary lied down again and pretended to sleep.

With his eyes shut and focusing all his energy to his ears, Gary heard the piano being played in an odd way.

No other noise came afterwards. He peeked again where Alfred should have been but he was gone.