A NEW ERA

[4 years later]

It's been 4 years since Falcone died. Wayne Enterprise regained its lost glory in no time. Its business expanded internationally, becoming one of the leading companies in the world. Bruce took over the R&D department of Wayne Enterprise while Thomas let Fox handle the company as a temporary CEO. Martha continued her charity work as usual.

Selina took her place beside Bruce as his personal assistant and guard. Maggie has opened her first restaurant and become one of the youngest chef masters in Gotham City.

Everyone was living their lives happily. Falcone's death brought peace to Gotham City. Crime rates lowered significantly. Police started solving crimes actively without worrying about being threatened or bribed.

Thomas noticed that the slum areas were the breeding grounds for crime and decided to transform them. So, he decided to take certain steps to prevent the crimes while providing the people with new opportunities. The slums went over a massive change as the expanding Wayne Enterprises started demolishing old dilapidated buildings and constructing new skyscrapers. The people were shifted to different buildings and were provided with job opportunities.

He was clear, either work and earn like an honest person or get thrown out of Gotham City. The older people who couldn't work were sent to old-age homes and the orphans to orphanages where they would get proper education and care. He also hired many psychiatrists to rehabilitate criminals. Criminals who agreed to change their ways were given jobs while those unwilling were sent to Blackgate Prison, Arkham Asylum, or killed if deemed necessary. [Old people who don't have anyone to look after.]

Slowly, the slums transformed into modern high-end residential areas. Thomas wanted Gotham City to prosper and become a better place to live in. He was doing everything he could to achieve that goal.

As for the car show that day... The Batmobiles were successfully showcased to the public, gaining the Wayne Enterprise more fame. Many orders came pouring in afterward. The Batmobile became a popular model in no time, earning Thomas lots of money. There were two versions, one was for the regular people with money, and the other was the armored version reserved for the police and military only.

Wayne Manor went under massive changes too. Thomas renovated it completely. The mansion now looked luxurious and majestic with tall walls surrounding it. The garden was filled with exotic plants and flowers imported from different countries. Martha loved gardening and Thomas loved spoiling her.

Bruce purchased land near Wayne Manor and constructed a huge underground facility. That facility was his research lab which he named 'Bat Cave'. Well, it's under Fox's name and only three people know about its existence. Fox, Selina, and Bruce.

The construction of the Wayne Tower began recently. Thomas planned to construct the tallest building in Gotham City. Well, it will take some time to finish it.

The Arc Reactor they built years ago to counter the Black Mask's plan was now used as the power source for the Wayne Enterprise.

Gordon received a promotion after Falcone's demise. He became the commissioner of Metropolis and had to shift there with Barbara. He was hesitant at first, but Barbara, now 18 years old, wanted to attend Metropolis University. So, he accepted the transfer. She was studying computer science and cybersecurity there.

As for what Thomas's reaction was after learning about the armor... Well, he and Bruce had a long chat in private where Bruce explained his goal of making a League of Heroes. He wanted his father to fund his experiments and since he is the mayor, he could easily cover up for his son and prevent the GCPD from interfering.

"Haaa..." Thomas sighed after hearing his son's dream and stood up. He walked over to the bookcase in his study room and pressed a hidden switch. A secret door opened, "Follow me..."

'A hidden door. As I thought, he must be the Devil Bat. I will know it in a few moments.' Bruce followed behind silently.

Thomas led him to a large basement below Wayne Manor. His eyes widened after seeing all the suits lined on the wall. Six different suits made with different materials and with different designs. The last one looked like an unused prototype. It looked bulky, unlike the others which looked sleek.

"These are my vigilante suits," Thomas pointed at the suits. "After that night in the Crime Alley, I had to do something that I couldn't do as the mayor."

Bruce nodded and said, "You became a vigilante."

"Yes. Took down all the crime families, killed some in rage..." He turned toward Bruce, "That's why I stopped you that night from killing Falcone because I know the burden of taking someone's life. You won't be able to sleep peacefully anymore."

Bruce looked at him and replied, "I think it's the opposite. Knowing that the city is safe and the criminals aren't any more to cause trouble makes me sleep peacefully."

Thomas shook his head, "Let's hope you never have to kill anyone else, anymore in the future." He then walked toward a glass case and brushed his fingers on it. "Because once you get past a certain point, there is no turning back... You won't be able to live peacefully without the urge to kill someone..."

Inside the glass case was a batsuit covered with dust. He picked a cloth nearby and wiped it clean.

"You knew?" He asked.

"Yeah. Considering the power of the armor, it was you, wasn't it? You blew up Black Mask's warehouses that night and discovered the bombs. The survivors said something about a man in bat armor and some said they saw a flying robot..." Thomas recalled the testimony of the captured criminals from Penguin's mansion and the warehouses.

"Well, no point hiding then. I killed them because they were planning on killing countless innocent civilians. Since I killed some hardcore lunatic killers, does that make me a killer too?" Bruce asked as he sat on a chair nearby.

"No, you prevented deaths. You saved thousands of innocent people. But this world isn't fair, you see. To some, you will be a hero while to others you will be a villain," Thomas put his hand on his son's shoulder and said, "That's why, you need to be careful Bruce. Don't let the darkness swallow you. Otherwise, one day you might end up killing innocents just because you feel like it. I know that feeling, believe me."

'Hmm. I guess he had his fair share of nightmares. But... I can't let these criminals run around freely and kill innocent people.' Bruce thought before replying, "Then what should I do? Ignore crimes?"

Thomas smiled and removed the dusty cloth covering the advanced computer, "No, why must you kill when you can make the criminals kill each other? Don't bloody your hand more than necessary. Use your brain, son, manipulate criminals and drive them crazy. Hold one of them at gunpoint and make them kill their boss. Once the head is gone, the body will fall apart."

Bruce stared at him for a moment before smiling, "Sounds interesting. I didn't expect you to have such dark ideas, Dad. Looks like you were pretty active during your youth."

"Haha. I know I shouldn't be giving such ideas to my son, let alone allow him to jump into danger, but you will do it anyway no matter what I say. So, rather than stopping you, I will support you. Just make sure you don't get hurt or your mom will kill us both," Thomas patted Bruce's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Well, enough chit-chat. Let me show you what I've been working on lately," Thomas turned on the computer and typed some commands.

An encrypted video folder opened.

"Metahumans!" Bruce exclaimed after watching the videos inside.

"Yeah, some are criminals, some are hiding as regular humans," He replied as his eyes fell on an old black-and-white footage of a woman in armor. It was from the World War II era. She was tearing apart tanks like paper using her bare hands. "And some are ancient..."

'That's Wonder Woman,' Bruce thought remembering reading about her in comics in his past life.

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