Chapter 318: The First Thirty Minutes (Part 2)

After the official opening credits, the big screen already displays a scene set in the early morning.

Within an ancient yet luxurious mansion, Anthony Hopkins, portraying the butler Alfred Pennyworth, enters a bedroom with a tray of food, while the sound of a television fills the room. Bruce Wayne, shirtless and sitting at the head of the bed, is tending to a wound on his shoulder.

After wishing him a good morning, Alfred, looking worried, places the tray on a table and sighs as he steps forward to help Wayne with his injury.

The camera shifts to the television.

In the noisy broadcast, a group of media reporters surrounds Tommy Lee Jones's Commissioner James Gordon, bombarding him with questions about the previous night's events at the city docks.

"Commissioner, was it really a 'bat-man' who attacked more than twenty gangsters?"

"Is it true that this arms smuggling case involved the gang boss Sal Maroni?"

"Commissioner Gordon, I'm Vicki Vale from the 'Gotham Times'. Rumor has it this isn't the first time the bat-man has acted. How do you classify such behavior?"

James Gordon, initially just pressing through the crowd of reporters silently, finally stops upon hearing Vicki Vale's question, telling the surrounding reporters, "I cannot divulge details about this case, but I do not condone any form of vigilantism. It's very dangerous and is a crime in itself."

As Gordon answers, the scene becomes noisier.

Alfred turns his gaze away from the TV and continues tending to Wayne's wound, softly saying, "See, they don't approve of what you're doing."

Bruce Wayne remains silent for a moment, his expression slightly saddened, but then firmly says, "Alfred, I don't need their approval."

"Well then," Alfred finishes up with the wound and takes out an invitation from his suit pocket, handing it to Wayne, "perhaps you need this."

Bruce Wayne looks at it; it's an invitation to a shareholders' meeting from JANUS Corporation, signed by Roman Sionis, the Chairman and CEO of JANUS.

Alfred brings the tray closer, setting up the tableware while saying, "Roman Sionis, remember him? You were classmates. The Sionis couple died in a fire a few years ago, and Roman inherited the JANUS Corporation."

Bruce Wayne, still looking at the invitation, suddenly says, "There was something off about that fire."

Alfred simply shakes his head, "Perhaps, but the police found nothing."

Bruce Wayne tosses the invitation aside, "I'm not interested in this."

Alfred picks up the invitation and places it beside Wayne, saying, "Master, you have to be interested. Or would you rather have everyone notice that the master of the Wayne family returned to Gotham City after years abroad, only to become a recluse, while the city gains a bat vigilante fighting criminals?"

Defeated, Bruce looks at Alfred and asks, "But, Alfred, what should I do at such an occasion?"

"Socialize, meet a young lady from Gotham City, marry her, have a child, stop going out 'haunting' every night, and carry on the Wayne family's legacy." Alfred speaks earnestly, seeing his master's indifferent attitude, he sighs and says, "Well, start with socializing."

Inside the Civic Hall, Alfred's rambling and final resignation draw a round of laughter.

In just a few minutes at the beginning, seemingly only a dialogue between master and servant, the scene is packed with information and friendly to both comic fans and non-comic fans alike.

For comic fans, besides the overly familiar Bruce Wayne and butler Alfred, identities like Commissioner Gordon, Roman Sionis, and gang boss Sal Maroni need no introduction.

Furthermore, comic fans can catch many familiar details from this short sequence.

For instance, the dialogue between the master and servant about the Sionis couple dying in a fire, which, as those who read the comics know, was caused by their insane son. Digging deeper, Bruce Wayne's suspicion about the fire and Alfred's reluctance to discuss it further are meant to prevent Wayne from remembering his own parents who also died tragically.

Another example is Sal Maroni, who, in the Batman comics, is the brutal gang boss who publicly disfigures prosecutor Harvey Dent with acid, leading to the birth of 'Two-Face'.

For non-comic fans, even if they are not familiar with the comic plots, they can grasp several important plot points.

Commissioner Gordon's dislike for Batman's actions, the fire that killed the Sionis couple, the gang boss Sal Maroni who was attacked by Batman, and the villain of the movie 'Black Mask' Roman Sionis.

The upcoming story is clearly going to involve these characters.

On the big screen.

The scene shifts to the evening.

In another luxurious mansion in the city, far less grand than Wayne's but still opulent, busy servants are setting up for a party. A waiter accidentally knocks down a poster advertising 'Angel' cream inside the hall, and is scolded by the butler.

From the brief dialogue, everyone learns that 'Angel' is a new cosmetic product that JANUS Corporation is about to launch. Tonight's party is to introduce this upcoming product to JANUS's shareholders.

Then, the camera moves upstairs.

Roman Sionis, played by Willem Dafoe, looks up from a document, his face showing clear anger, "One in a hundred thousand, Jack, the company spent three years developing 'Angel', and it's about to launch. And now you're telling me there's a one in a hundred thousand chance it could cause an allergic reaction in users? Do you understand what that means?"

"Mr. Sionis, it's a reality we have to face. If an allergic reaction to 'Angel' occurs, in the worst case, it could even lead to the user's death."

Roman Sionis grips the document in his hand, his expression fluctuating for a moment, then suddenly looks up, "Will it disfigure them?"

Jack Slade, the executive, is stunned, then shakes his head, "No, it's mainly..."

Roman Sionis doesn't let Jack finish, cutting him off, "Jack, you know best how much we've invested in this product, not to mention the company's recent stock price. So, do you understand?"

"But..."

"One in a hundred thousand," Roman Sionis stares at Jack, saying, "Since it won't disfigure, maybe it's food poisoning, or maybe pollen allergies, who knows if it's 'Angel' that caused it."

Jack Slade looks at his boss's almost ferocious face, still dutifully warns, "Mr. Sionis, if this is discovered, the consequences will be severe."

Roman Sionis slams his fist on the table, exploding, "If 'Angel' can't launch as scheduled, JANUS is finished. Is there anything more serious than that?"

Jack Slade is startled by Roman Sionis's outburst, silent for a moment, not daring to speak further.

The door is knocked at this moment, and the butler who scolded the waiter opens the door, reminding Roman Sionis that guests have started to arrive. Sionis's momentarily lost composure gradually returns to calmness, he dismisses Jack Slade with

 a wave, stands up to place the 'Angel' test report document into a safe, and goes downstairs to greet the guests.

As night falls.

The party at the Sionis mansion begins to buzz with activity, and Bruce Wayne arrives late, driving a silver sports car alone.

Just getting out of the car, some reporters waiting outside the Sionis mansion spot the heir of the Wayne family and excitedly surround him for photos and interviews.

After dealing with the reporters, Bruce Wayne is about to enter the mansion when an arm loops through his, and a woman in a red dress with sleek black bobbed hair and a slight Italian accent whispers in his ear, "Sir, do you need a companion?"

Bruce Wayne nods gentlemanly, hands the invitation to the doorman, and enters the party scene with the lady.

Inside the hall, before Wayne can ask, the lady leans in to kiss his cheek and says, "Thank you."

Then she drifts away.

Bruce Wayne shrugs, watching the lady's figure disappear into the crowd with a different kind of smile, ready to face the enthusiastic Roman Sionis coming towards him.

Elsewhere, Valeria Golino, portraying the 'Catwoman' Selina Kyle that all audience members instantly recognize, skillfully moves through the crowd, flirting occasionally with approaching male guests, and somehow bypasses waiters and guards to reach the upstairs.

Moments later, a somewhat secluded door is quietly opened.

Selina Kyle steps inside, looking around at the various types of handguns with surprise, muttering to herself, 'A boy's private little corner', then steps back out.

Catwoman clearly has no interest in firearms.

In front of the big screen, while many audience members chuckle knowingly at Catwoman's 'A boy's private little corner', others understand this as the director laying a plot foundation for Roman Sionis. In the comics, Roman Sionis is a marksman who can compete with 'Deadshot'.

In the blink of an eye, Selina Kyle reaches Roman Sionis and Jack Slade's conversation in the study and accurately finds the safe.

Inside the mansion's hall, the bright and lively party continues.

Bruce Wayne, clearly not quite fitting in, struggles to entertain a group of flattering guests and excuses himself to the restroom.

The camera cuts.

Inside Roman Sionis's study, Selina Kyle has already opened the safe and is looking through the 'Angel' test report document when suddenly, an unexpected alarm sounds.

Muttering a curse, Selina Kyle quickly wraps up, taking the document and heading out.

The party scene is slightly disturbed but not severely.

Smoothly bypassing the guards rushing upstairs, Selina Kyle makes her way out of the Sionis mansion, sees the still-waiting reporters outside, and casually stuffs the document she's been holding into one reporter's bag.

The familiar silver sports car appears, stopping next to Selina.

The car door opens, and Bruce Wayne looks at Selina attentively, "Need a ride?"

Selina Kyle, seeing guards coming out of the mansion, smiles sweetly, "Sure."

Sitting down, Wayne starts the car and drives away from the party.

After a moment, feeling something off, Selina Kyle turns to Wayne, "Dear, where are we going?"

Bruce Wayne glances at the lady in the passenger seat, saying, "To the police station."

Selina Kyle stiffens momentarily, then relaxes, "Wow, you're really not romantic."

Bruce Wayne continues driving.

Seeing no reaction from the man, Selina Kyle initiates, "How did you find out?"

Bruce Wayne glances at her again, as if searching for something, and says, "If you like that wallet, you can take it, but you need to return the photo inside to me."

"Such a petty man," Selina Kyle instantly understands how she gave herself away, reaching into her dress to pull out a black wallet and handing it to Wayne, her expression shifting to one of pitiful pleading, "So, can I leave now?"

Bruce Wayne remains unmoved, opening the wallet to look at the photo of himself and his parents, saying, "You're too skilled at disabling someone's alarm system. Better go to the police station."

Selina Kyle pauses, then realizes why, despite disabling the Sionis mansion's alarm, it still went off, mockingly saying, "You're quite skilled at fixing alarm systems too."

As she says this, Selina tries the door, finding it locked, and turns back to Wayne with a slight plea, "Are you really not going to let a poor lady go, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce Wayne is surprised, "You know me?"

"Of course, is there a second Wayne family in Gotham City?" Selina says, even threatening a bit, "I'll definitely 'visit' when I get the chance."

Bruce Wayne is about to speak again when Selina Kyle, who just finished her sentence, leans over.

Is this an attempt at seduction?

Both the Bruce Wayne in the car and the audience in front of the big screen simultaneously think similar thoughts.

Catwoman using seduction on Batman, and that too in a speeding sports car.

The thought is a bit thrilling.

Undoubtedly, though she's been on screen for only a few minutes, Valeria Golino has already shaped Catwoman into a character that is flirtatious yet fickle like a cat, and both righteous and wicked. The audience clearly noticed her stuffing the 'Angel' test report document into a reporter's bag.

For many fans, this action is obviously a crucial detail that advances the plot.

On the big screen.

When everyone expects Catwoman to seduce Batman or even have an intimate moment in the car, Selina Kyle wraps her arms around Bruce Wayne, but the scene suddenly shifts. Using Wayne's body as support, one of her legs presses against the car door.

Then.

Bang—

With a muffled sound, the car door's glass shatters completely.

Everyone is taken aback, the woman seemingly breaking the sports car's door glass with just one kick.

Bruce Wayne is also caught off guard, his grip on the steering wheel unsteady, causing the car to swerve violently.

"Goodbye, dear."

After pecking Wayne on the face, Selina Kyle's body, as flexible as a cat's, slips through the broken window, landing gracefully on the ground.

When Bruce Wayne awkwardly stops the sports car and gets out, the lady's figure has vanished without a trace.

"Cool!"

Inside the Civic Hall, amidst countless stunned gazes, a voice rings out again.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT