Chapter 6-I am Vengence!

Chapter 6

THOMAS WAYNE

Thomas Wayne stood backstage as a literal flood of people waited for him in the newly constructed auditorium as he thought of his life. Or rather, his new life, a life of opulence and unimaginable power and wealth.

The Wayne's weren't just rich. They were extremely rich, and they owed much of their wealth to the city of Gotham, a city that had become a haven for crime of all kinds. And though he had an inkling that the decadence of this city was not as natural as it seemed when he had first laid eyes on the depraved streets of the city, of his city, he knew that he had to do something.

The city needed a hero, and though one would come, a silent guardian who would prowl the city in the Dark and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful, his symbol would light up in the Dark and instill fear in the hearts of those hollowing out the foundation of this city.

Already, several massive orders for what appeared to be components for his iconic suite, he was also looking into our inventory and other things. In the end, Thomas had decided to help him and asked Fox to give him the 3d printer they had come up with years ago to help him design his suit.

Though for that, they first needed him to make an appearance, which, by the volume of his orders and pace of his workings, was going to be much sooner than later.

And so, it was time for him to move forward as well. His complicated birth had given him a constitution much weaker than the others, and he could not take on these men as his brother. No, he had a different role to play.

And so, he would do his own part, just as many others before him had done so. He had been blessed with wealth and the influence of the Wayne name, and beyond that, he was sharper and smarter than before. With the knowledge he had in his grasp, he knew he could do right by the people's suffering in his city.

"That will be all. Thank you all for coming!"

The announcer's announcement was met with frowns and murmurs as the presentation came to an end, and then the stage lights were turned off. A few among the audience began to stand up and headed towards the doors.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK

He stood up from his seat and began to make his way towards the stage. He headed to the front, and a few of the people frowned and gasped as he stood on the stage. Then, suddenly, the lights were flicked on again to a much enthused and intrigued audience.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Thomas smiled and spoke the following words.

"I believe we still have time for one more thing!"

"YEAHHHHHH!" came the roar as the people sat back down.

Those who were at the door also rushed back to their seats, knowing that the whole event had just begun, for despite their efforts, leaks, and rumors of his projects had appeared in the media for some days now, though thankfully, the media had believed most of it to be rubbish.

Yet they could not have been more wrong.

As the crowd settled down somewhat, suddenly the stage shifted as three platforms slowly rose up behind him. Slowly as the screen behind him lit up, the massive LED screen shifted through a number of panels before it settled on a simple black background adorned with their newest logo.

His eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the all too familiar face of Selina, yet in the end she was not there. And he clicked his tongue as he adjusted his mike and spoke up.

"Let me show you the future!" and with another click of his fingers, the lights turned off, and the screen behind him began to shift as the true presentation began.

0000

Bruce Wayne

The supper with Rachel had been a surprise, one which he hadn't expected how much he would like. She had apologized to him about her words, though he thought there wasn't anything there to apologize for.

A week had passed since his return, and a plan begun taking form in his head. He had thought about how he would keep the whole Batman thing secret from his brother, yet incidentally, Thomas didn't live in the manor.

"Alfred, why doesn't Thomas live in the manor?" Bruce questioned him as they both sat on the sofa, watching the Wayne expo on the massive screen in front of them. Thomas was on the stage now presenting the new device he had made, the smartphone.

"He says he doesn't like to commute, so he just ends up living in the room in Wayne Tower, though I do insist he visits the manor on weekends," Alfred answered quickly.

"And does he?" he questioned as he looked towards Alfred, who nodded.

"He visits at least once a month; it's usually when he and Miss Rachel get together for a meal," Alfred replied, and Bruce smiled.

"I believe your newfound hobby shall remain hidden as long as you avoid making too much noise during his visits," the man added, anticipating his next question and Bruce nodded. The system of caves they had discovered underneath the manor was perfect for him and delved deep into the city. Shifting his operation elsewhere would have been a hassle.

Thinking of the close relationship between Rachel and Thomas, and Alfred's words from the plane ride, he gulped as he looked toward the aged man and decided to ask him directly

"So, are Rachel and Thomas …" he questioned, and Alfred understood the unsaid question and shook his question.

"Ohh, no. They are not. Miss Rachel thinks of Thomas as a young brother. She is not romantically involved with him," Alfred replied, and for some reason, that soothed his heart.

"Then what about that girlfriend you mentioned?" he questioned again as he sipped his morning coffee. Yesterday had been one long night, working in the cave, finishing up the suit, and sifting through potential allies in the police force.

Surprisingly, he had been able to find some rather good leads. The Police had been a corrupt wreck a year ago, taking bribes from the criminals to look the other way as the city suffered infront of them. Though, some time ago, things had begun to shift, the Police were still corrupt, but someone had decided to cause a disruption, and the good officers, the honest ones who had been long denied their rightful promotions, had begun rising up the ladder.

"Ohh, I am afraid you will have to ask Master Thomas about that yourself," Alfred answered with his cryptic smile, and he shrugged and began to focus on the expo once more. It was a massive affair, and he didn't miss the sheer number of people present there. He had been invited as well, yet in the end, he had decided against turning up, believing that this was Thomas's stage.

And from the way the people in the crowd were gazing at his brother, it was one hell of a night.

Bruce examined the said device in his hand. It was ahead of the rest of the market by at least three to five years. And that was just the hardware, for according to Thomas, their true advantage lay on the software side.

"He seems to like running the business," Bruce commented, and Alfred nodded and smiled. He could tell that Thomas had a knack for running the empire, and it was good, for Bruce didn't have the time to look after his family's legacy. And though, as the eldest son, traditionally it should have been him leading the company, he didn't mind leaving it all to Thomas, who seemed to like the job, unlike him, who wasn't interested in it.

"Yes, he does. And he is very good at it as well, at least according to Mr. Fox," and Bruce recognized the name of their new CEO. He had met the man himself a few days back to procure certain objects.

"Has he delivered the machines?" Bruce questioned, and Alfred nodded.

"He has both the Kevlar suit and the memory cloth. As for your other demands, he wishes to meet you for he has an idea to help you with all your projects," Afred answered.

That was intriguing. The man was smart, and he could tell that he had an inkling of an idea of what Brice was about to undertake, and if a simple meeting could help him, then it was just better. Plus, Bruce also wished to meet the man who had mentored Thomas. So, he gave Alfred the nod.

"Tell him I will meet him," and Alfred nodded.

"I shall convey your message."

He had already mapped out the people who could aid him in his crusade. The city was healing, yet that didn't mean that the criminal element was going to give up without a fight.

And from what he had found out, there was now apparently a hit on his brother's head. A hit worth a million dollars. If someone was offering that kind of money, it meant that there was only some time until someone decided to try their chance," so it was better for Batman to make up his appearance.

"Good. And I believe you told Mr. Fox about not mentioning any of this to Thomas," Bruce said as Alfred nodded.

"The man promised he would not speak a word of it to young Master Thomas unless he asked," Alfred answered, and Bruce shrugged. That was good enough.

The man was fiercely loyal to his brother, and he didn't mind that at all. He seemed to be a good person and seemed to genuinely care for Thomas, something which he appreciated.

The presentation, which his brother had referred to as a 'keynote' ended to thundering applause, and Bruce stood up from the sofa as he cracked his neck and began to make his way out of the manor.

"Where are you going, Master Bruce?" Alfred questioned.

"It seems like my brother has his part handled. It is time I do mine," he said as he began to make his way to the hidden elevator and gave his trusted butler a simple glance.

The criminal element in the city thought of the darkness as their ally thought that darkness gave them power. It was time they learned the darkness wasn't their ally, that when the moon rises, monsters come out hunting. And it was time they became the hunted.

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Night had fallen, and he found himself against a building as he saw a couple of goons with guns eyeing the shelter. From what he had heard, they had been hired to rough up the shelters and burn them down by their bosses.

So, his guess was right. The mob bosses were growing desperate.

And as the three goons rounded the last corner, he landed behind them.

"Come on, hurry up, Greg. We gotta' end this quickly. Otherwise, that freaking cat might show up!" one of them shouted, and he frowned at that.

Cat? He would have to look into this.

And then, before the three could react, he was behind them and hit the man on the back of his head, knocking him out.

"Fuck!" the second one cursed, and just as he turned to face him, Bruce punched the guy in the face, held his extended arm, and dislocated it.

"AHHHHH!" the man fell to his knees, and Bruce kicked him in the face, knocking him out as well.

The third guy had taken out his gun and was looking at him with eyes wide with fear. The man shot again, and the bullets simply rolled off of the Kevlar armor as Bruce walked towards the third man with slow steps.

"Do you know who we work for? Do you know who you are messing with huh," the man said as he backed into the alley.

"Falcone will have your head for this. I am telling you, he will have your head," the man spoke up as his gun ran out of bullets. He continued to back off until he hit the wall off the blind alley.

"Who are you? Tell me, who are you?" the man questioned frantically as he rushed towards him.

Bruce ducked under his punch and hit him the git, making the man vomit as he kicked his leg, making him fall headfirst onto the pavement.

"AHHH!" the man screamed in pain as the fall broke his nose. He tried to crawl away, but Bruce stomped on his leg, and the man glanced back, now shaking with fear.

"What are you?" he questioned as Bruce raised his fist and spoke up.

"I am vengeance!"

0000

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