Chapter 64: Pawns in a Deadly Game

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"Never trust anyone too much; remember, the devil was once an angel"

– Kaneki, (Tokyo Ghoul)

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<{Wayne Entertainment & Media HQ, Gotham; 2005}> 

<(Omniscient POV)> 

"Miss. Vale, I don't think you realize just how amazing a business opportunity this is. The offer that we have from the Glorious Godfrey Broadcasting System company can net us about eighty billion dollars in one fell swoop. Just imagine how pleased Mr. Wayne would be if he got eighty billion dollars for a news business he set up with just a measly two billion dollars a few years ago. This could be one of the biggest and most profitable exits in the American media industry." A sweating fat man sporting a bald head said while nervously rubbing his hands.

"Mr. Morgan, I might be the youngest member of this company and even in this industry but it will be one of the biggest mistakes in your life if you think even for a single second that I do not know what you are trying to do here. Do you think I haven't heard about your secret 'business meetings' with the representatives of GGBS? Let me guess, they offered you a pretty hefty cut if the deal goes through, didn't they?" Vicki Vale, made a disgusted expression as she coldly stared down the man three times her age.

"No... I mean, I only want the best for Wayne Entertainment & Media. I mean the news and magazine division is just a small part of the company. Selling it for such a hefty amount can help in focusing our..."

"Mr. Morgan, perhaps you are forgetting that this company was established as not just a means to earn money but also to strategically support the Wayne brand name itself as well as to help deliver unbiased genuine news to the masses. Furthermore, I think you are overlooking that Bruce neither likes selling his businesses nor leaving his employees at the mercy of others. So, you should think less about selling the company and more about improving it and if you can't, then you are always welcome to leave." Vicki sternly said as she deliberately referenced Bruce by his first name to highlight the fact that she was much closer to the company's owner than him and held a much higher position.

"Hahaha, of course, Miss. Vale. I guess I have grown too old to even suggest this. That's why fresh faces like you are so much appreciated by the company. Anyway, thank you for humoring this old man and giving him some of your precious time HAHA, maybe I should go now before I make any more such stupid decisions today." The old fat man almost dashed out of the room while sweating. The very mention of being fired from the company had scared him way too much even to try to continue to coax his younger boss into accepting the deal.

Miss Vicki Vale or as as many people had secretly started calling her, the Deathly Vale was one of the most successful people in Wayne Solutions' entertainment arm. She was a genius in journalism who after completing her Bachelor's in Mass Media and Communications at the early age of seventeen joined the same company her father was a part of and quickly rose through the ranks.

Presently, she is not only one of the youngest but also one of the most influential people in the Wayne subsidiary, and quite surprisingly to many people, it was not because she was the daughter of the current editor-in-chief of the news division.

Even though she joined as just an ordinary news content writer and reporter, her groundbreaking articles on scams, scandals, and the hidden corruption in Gotham as well as her bold ideas, undaunting voice and unique look on different subjects have quickly pushed her to the top where now she was the youngest board member for Wayne Entertainment & Media and in fact was on her way to becoming the public face of Wayne Entertainment news division.

Of course, her success could primarily be attributed to three things besides her own enormous natural talent in journalism. One was the continuous support she had been receiving from Cortana in conducting investigations for her news articles through the usage of data on the internet as well as some of Bruce's stealth drones. Of course some of the aggrieved parties that she had released articles on had tried to take revenge in various ways but vengeance is not easy to achieve when the one you are trying to harm is a trained martial artist who has practiced mystical martial arts from her childhood and occupies a high administrative position at the helm of a rising media giant while being protected by dozens of cutting-edge combat drones from the shadows at all times.

The second was her early entry into the online news business. After she realized the stupendous potential of the influence the internet could one day have on the news industry, she quickly developed various electronic media publications for providing news and information on various categories for free like Insider, Medium, and even the online news aggregator, Flipboard. Her efforts along with the algorithms provided by Cortana that the news platforms were based on had resulted in Wayne News dominating the global online news world which although currently not so big was still growing at an enormous rate every year.

But, the third and biggest reason behind her quick and enormous success was the newly established national News Network and newspaper 'Daily Bugle', and its European counterpart 'Daily Herald' as well as the 'Now' magazine which were all named by Bruce himself before he went to his 'trip'. They had quickly taken Wayne Entertainment Media's news division to a national level where they could easily compete with companies like Daily Planet on an equal footing. 

"Wow, that was the fourth attempt to buy one of our companies by bribing a high-ranking employee. I am starting to grow tired of having to ruin so many idiots' careers after they think they can get away with betraying Wayne Solutions. *Sigh* I really miss you, Bruce, the world of media is not really as sunshine and flowers as it looks from the outside. I wish you were here to help me through all this... like you always have... I sound like a useless parasite for some reason, even to myself." She sighed as she looked at the various cuttings of the newspapers in front of her with different headlines for each of them.

{Billionaire Orphan missing for more than three years. Where is Bruce Wayne?}

{Newly appointed Kansas Senator shows staunch support for Wayne Solutions' new government defense contract. Says missing billionaire Bruce Wayne is a blessing to the world.}

{Is the Billionaire teenager of Gotham running from piling debts and a falling company? Read ahead to know in detail.}

{Wayne Family: The Great Gotham Mystery. Has the young heir to the Wayne fortune joined his parents in the land of eternal sleep?}

{Billionaire spotted in India. Is the prince of Gotham going through a spiritual awakening?}

{Six board of directors in Wayne Enterprises killed in a mysterious gang shootout, company on its knees at its worst week ever in Gotham Stock Exchange. Is the Wayne Empire finally dying?}

{Bruce Wayne is still a billionaire after losing more than forty billion dollars in the stock exchange in one day. Why the Wayne fortune will never disappear? A thorough case study.}

{Wayne Solutions, the new diamond in the rough after the latest Gotham Merchant Bank acquisition is estimated to be the biggest privately held company in America today but Bruce Wayne, its sole owner is still missing from the picture.}

"Even when you are not here, you are still the talk of the town. I guess, people don't ignore handsome genius billionaires even when they are missing and presumed dead, do they? Maybe I should call up Kitty, force Cortana to give up your location, and then drag you back home. Haha, bet it would be funny." Vicki giggled to herself as she stared at one of the newspaper clippings which had an unclear shot of Bruce's face taken from far away while he seemed to be hiking on a mountain.

"But again, you trusted me and gave me a job to do and even though it's extremely frustrating and taxing sometimes, I still love my current job, especially the new news show I have been doing on Daily Bugle as an anchor during prime time. Somehow, revealing the true face of the world and those who run it as they truly are to the viewers is really blood-pumping for me and truthfully I don't hate the fame either. After all, it does give quite a power rush.

So, I think I'll give you some more time to train while I cement our influence. And, by the time you return, I'll make sure that the city loves and respects you so much that the citizens will kiss the very earth you walk on." Vicki said with a wide smile on her lips as she looked outside the window from her office. 

Gotham had been growing bigger and bigger every day. In fact, its rate of growth in terms of financial success could even be compared to New York and Gotham Solutions was the one who had not only indirectly caused it but was also the biggest gainer from this as well.

Most people did not know this but the way things were progressing if Wayne Solutions and Wayne Enterprises ever merged, then in a few years Bruce Wayne could own the majority of Gotham's economy whether directly or indirectly, and would truly become the one and only Prince of Gotham.

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<{League of Assassins' Training Hall, Nanda Parbat}>

<(Omniscient POV) >

"Seven seconds, that is a new record, Bruce. it seems that you have mastered yet another skill. Told you that a small world tour would be quite useful, didn't I?" Ubu said with a grin that showed all of his half-rotten teeth as he viewed the stopwatch in his hands.

"Yeah, I guess it was. I never thought that I could even improve upon my current skills so much with just a fresher perspective on them. I always thought that I could know everything just from reading books or learning from one single expert. Guess, I was wrong, there is no end to learning and there is no such thing called perfection." Bruce admitted aloud as he cracked his limbs after successfully escaping from a straitjacket while hanging upside down without having any sort of key or tool with him.

"Yes, even the Demon's Head is still learning all sorts of new things despite being alive for hundreds of years. But, this finally concludes your training in all the physical and mental arts. You have mastered almost everything we could teach in these fields. I think you are finally ready." The big loyal Assassin minion said with a proud voice.

"Huh, for what? Don't tell me, you will finally be training me in sorcery and dark arts as you promised all those years ago. Even after so many years, all I could learn about magic from you guys, and my little world tour was a little bit of alchemy and feng shui. Magic is the only field I feel like I have zero defense." Bruce mumbled sadly, making it seem like he was trying to get some pity from Ubu.

"No, not the mystic arts. Not right now, at least. I was actually talking about your graduation. It has been delayed quite a while because of your thirst for knowledge and skills. But Ra's Al Ghul has decided that it is finally time for you to truly become one of us. Maybe, you can continue to learn the mystic arts we have after that." Ubu said as he threw him a bait.

"... I see. I guess, it's finally time then. Well, it was a good run. So, when will be my graduation ceremony and do I have to do anything special for it?" Bruce asked as he blankly looked at Ubu. 

"There will be a small test, a test of character and loyalty you can call it. It's different for every person as it depends on one's personality and is designed by Ra's Al Ghul himself. If you pass, you will be officially branded as a part of the League of Assassins and maybe in your case, even its head. If you fail, however, the penalty will be death." Ubu explained. 

"I see. That is to be expected. This is an organization of assassins after all, not a university of researchers. Anyway, since our training is already finished, you will have to excuse me now. I have somewhere else to be..." 

"Aah, the Demon Head's daughter right... or should I say, daughters?" Ubu offhandedly commented without much change of an expression.

"... What did you say?" Bruce asked. He had tried his best to hide his relationship with Nyssa and his partnership with Talia all these years and he had the belief that he had been succeeding very well at that too. 

"This mountain is the stronghold of the Demon's head himself and here he sees everything, even the things he doesn't want to see. If you thought that you could keep screwing his daughters without him knowing..., then you were the most delusional person in the world. You were only able to do what you did because Ra's Al Ghul allowed you to. It's that simple. Now, go and enjoy your youth till it lasts Bruce. Life is a very fickle thing, you never know when it ends after all." Ubu snickered as he calmly stared Bruce in the eyes. 

'Well, that's a massive red flag... Motherfuc...' 

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(A/N: Hoist the red flag everyone because things are about to take a massive turn.)

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