Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Rise

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 08:

Wayne Enterprises Executive Suites – Penthouse

Downtown Gotham

Bruce knelt on the ground between the bodies of his parents. There was warm blood on his cheeks. His heart was racing, his stomach felt the urge to vomit, and his ears were ringing.

He did his best to avoid looking at the bodies. Instead, he focused on the string of pearls on the ground. He nearly jumped when the man bent over his mother’s body and began collecting the pearls. He then moved to his father’s body, searching for his wallet.

Bruce finally looked into the maniacal eyes of the man who had just murdered his parents.

The man stared at him, as if trying to decide his fate. Bruce wasn’t sure in that moment if he would live or die… his body was frozen in fear. His life was in the hands of a monster, and he could do nothing about it.

Finally the man broke his gaze and ran, leaving Bruce alone.

Bruce did not know what to do. He was scared. Should he leave his parents and call for help? They were already dead. Bruce knew that for sure. Their eyes were open, they weren’t breathing and a pool of blood from each of their bodies was inching towards him.

He thought of wiping his face but didn’t want to touch the blood. Indecision swept through him and as he often did when this happened, he opted to do nothing.

Bruce heard footsteps approaching.

“Look at me.” Diana’s voice called out to him.

Bruce did not want to meet her eyes.

“Look at me now.” Her chilling voice ordered him.

He hesitantly looked up and met her gaze. She was as young as he was, but he recognized the look on her face. She was angry with him.

“Diana, can you help them?” he asked, a sliver of hope in his voice.

Diana snorted and bent to one knee in front of them. “One night, Bruce. Mom asked me to watch Kara for one night and this happens. It’s too late. If I had known you were so incapable, I would have been here. I would have attacked that man, hurt him, possibly killed him. Unfortunately, it was left to you… and you failed.”

Bruce shook his head and forced himself to remain looking at his sister despite the look of disappointment. “I couldn’t do anything, Diana. It happened so fast…”

“You didn’t try!” Diana grabbed his chin. “You stayed on your knees, waiting to find out if some drug addicted murderer would allow you to live. You said nothing while he robbed our parents’ dead bodies. You couldn’t even scream for help. Once again, you failed to do anything. Once again, you proved you are nothing without me.”

“I wanted to do something!” Bruce screamed.

“No, you didn’t! You wanted it to go away! Things like this do not go away. You were a coward. You have always been a coward. You do nothing, hoping I will clean up the problem!” Diana retorted, her tone accusing.

Bruce felt the tears on his cheek mixing with his parents’ blood. “That’s not true, Diana. I don’t have your strength. I can’t lift cars or move in a blur.”

“You think that matters?” Diana snorted, her contempt for him obvious in her eyes. “I have always stood for our friends, for our sister, against anyone who tried to hurt one of you. Have I needed superstrength to fight our enemies? Did I use my powers when taking care of Kara after you let our parents die? Did I use super strength to keep our family together, to carry on our father’s legacy? No, Bruce, I don’t need to use my powers to do any of these things.

“People don’t follow me because I can lift a mountain, Bruce. They follow me because I am strong-willed. They follow me because I’m decisive. They follow me because I am a leader… but you are none of these things.”

“There was nothing I could do.” Bruce insisted, his voice breaking.

Diana laughed, a mocking sound Bruce felt deep in his soul. “You couldn’t have called out, distracted the man long enough for Daddy to deal with him? Daddy was a hero, brave, without fear. All he needed was the slightest distraction from you. But you couldn’t even do that.

“Once again, when faced with conflict, you froze. The difference is that this time… this time, I wasn’t there to take care of the problem.”

Bruce forced his way to his feet. He followed Diana’s line of sight to his parents’ bodies. She put a hand on his shoulder standing behind him.

“The only Wayne by blood is the biggest coward.” She whispered in his ear.

Bruce shook his head. He wasn’t a coward. Was he?

“I let you down.” He mumbled.

“You always do, Bruce.” Her voice floated over his shoulder, taunting him. “You want so badly to be a doctor. You don’t want to hurt anyone, just heal. Tell me how you can heal this, Bruce? Can you bring them back from the dead?”

“No.” Bruce quietly admitted.

“You don’t like violence. Isn’t that what you tell me all the time? You always tell me violence solves nothing. Do you still feel the same? You knelt in this alley and prayed that I would come save you as I always have. Only violence could have stopped violence.” Diana hissed, her tone sending chills down his spine.

Bruce felt something shift and he turned to Diana. He had to look up. Diana was in her adult form now, wearing the armor that stayed locked up in their basement. She wore a dark cloak over it that covered her head along with a wrap that covered her jawline and over her nose. He could only see her eyes and the large sword in her hand.

He had never told her, but that sword scared him every time he saw it. It was an instrument of death, one that had taken many lives. Bruce could feel it. It also frightened him how natural it looked in Diana’s hand.

“I was wrong. I should have been stronger. I wasn’t enough but I’m not that boy anymore though.” He told her.

“You are right… you aren’t that boy. You are worse. You associate with murderers while claiming you are not one yourself… and you killed Bruce Wayne. So you are a hypocrite and a liar.” Diana accused him. “You couldn’t stop our parents from dying, so you killed my brother and now you want me to help you in some crusade you hope will atone for your failures.”

“You haven’t given me the chance to explain!” He exclaimed.

“And in your explanation will you tell me about the Lazarus Pit?!” Diana screamed, getting into his face. Though he could only see her eyes, they were frightening.

“I know why you want our help… because you are still too much of a coward to do it on your own. You don’t love Kara or me… you just want to use us. We are a means to your achieve your ends.” The truth of her words stripped away his protestations. The power radiating from the depths of the cloak frightened him, her eyes flashed brightly as she flung a last accusation in his face. “I’m not fighting your battles anymore, Bruce. I already killed the monster that did this because, once again, you were too scared to do what needed to be done. You hid away from the world while that man was released from prison. I dealt with it. I killed him… not you. I cleaned up your mess just as I always do.”

Chill was in front of him once more. Bruce felt dread at the sight of the man but then a sword erupted through the murderer’s chest, ripping him in half.

Bruce screamed.

He bolted straight up in the bed, drenched in sweat, his heart hammering in his chest. He took a moment to catch his breath, shaking the dream away from his mind. This was not the first time he had this particular one.

Diana had always told him what happened wasn’t his fault. She never blamed him, and Bruce knew she meant what she said.

But Bruce also knew that if Diana had been there, their parents would be alive.

He had always felt inferior to her, and it wasn’t just her superpowers.

Diana was strong and held nothing back. Even Alfred followed her lead after their parents died. Diana kept Kara healthy and under control, basically raising a five-year-old when she was only twelve herself. Diana had plans laid out, she took action when it was needed. If she decided something needed to happen, it happened.

Her strength of will had always amazed and intimidated him. When the two had been on the streets together as teens, planning to clean up the city one block at a time, he had loved to watch her fight. He would like to say the two of them were unstoppable, but in his heart of hearts, he knew it wasn’t true. She was unstoppable. He was just trying to hang on, do what he could to make up for his inaction when he was twelve.

Then she had stopped, told him what they were doing was pointless. She knew of a better way. She told him the two of them could use Wayne Enterprises to change the entire world for the better, not just Gotham.

He refused, wanting to stand on his own, to continue the fight they started.

It was the first time he had actively gone against her wishes.

Yet, whenever he came back at night injured, it was Diana who would go out the next night to make the offending parties pay. He slowly realized he wasn’t able to accomplish what he wanted to without her.

He went to school, followed her instructions, tried to care about her way but it was never enough. Changing the world through power and influence didn’t sooth that rage inside him. He needed violence. The boy who wanted nothing more than to be a doctor, now wanted nothing more than to lash out at the world.

He killed Bruce Wayne the night he left. Whoever he was now had returned to continue his mission in Gotham. His hope that Diana would help him was a fool’s hope. She hadn’t understood then, so why would she now?

Bruce climbed out of bed as the sun was starting to set and opened his closet.

Inside was the suit he and Talia had made together. It was a suit that personified his greatest fear, and one criminals would come to fear as well.

It was time to get to work.

---

Gotham Docks

It was supposed to be a simple job.

Vlad usually stayed in the house near the docks and threw food and bottled water to the captive girls in the basement who were brought in over the course of a month by various associates in the city.

They were given enough food and water to keep them alive but kept them weak enough to break their spirits. Most of them were attractive runaways picked up at bus stops, or sex workers from the street who had not lost their looks yet.

It was a system that had worked for years. They took the girls but spaced out the intervals. They never took two girls at once, never in the same part of the city, different bus stops and street corners, and they always took girls no one should miss.

On the last Friday of the month, Vlad and four of his friends would load the girls into the back of a large semi-trailer and drive them to the docks. Once there, they were met by the heavily armed crew of a ship where the girls would be placed into the cargo hold and shipped off. Vlad didn’t know where and didn’t care. In the Bratva, it was better to do your job and not ask questions.

The police had never caught onto their scheme, the FBI had no interest in the seedy docks of Gotham City and even if someone were to interfere, there were ten heavily armed men from the ship that would greet them.

Something about tonight seemed more foreboding. He tended to trust his gut, but his gut wouldn’t get in the way of a payday. The night was dim, but some light lit the paved lot between the trailer and the loading dock to the great freighter moored there.

All the men spread out to create a perimeter, just in case a cop got lucky and stumbled upon them.

Vlad kept an eye on his men in the dim streetlights while he waited for the money man to arrive. He didn’t know this man’s name, nor did he care.

It was a standard night, a process that had been repeated many times in the last year and a half.

So why was his gut telling him something bad was about to happen?

A clink of breaking glass caught his attention off to his right. He turned quickly and saw the street light had shattered, sending that small area into darkness. His man stationed there couldn’t be seen now but he hadn’t fired or called out.

It must have been an old bulb.

He motioned to another of his men to check it out.

Vlad heard what he could have sworn was a grunt and a body hitting the ground in the dark.

Before he could investigate, the streetlight on his right exploded in a small shower of sparks.

Old bulbs. It had to be old bulbs.

“Antone.” He called out to his lackey who had gone to check on their comrade in the semi-darkness of the pale moonlight.

He heard nothing.

Walking over to the newest broken light, he found his friend was gone.

He looked at the glass at his feet and saw a small metal object, no bigger than his palm, in the shape of… a bat?

The lights leading up to the ship along the boarding bridge were illuminating the ramp where the money man had just exited the ship and was approaching him.

“Is there a problem, Vladimir?” the old man asked.

Vlad shook his head. “Some kids screwing around throwing rocks probably. My guys went to check it out. No cops, nothing to worry about.”

Despite his assurance, Vlad’s gut feeling was becoming worse. Something was very wrong.

His feeling was proven true when the walkway to the ship from the dock exploded.

The men from the ship, spread out, some rushing towards the walkway, some covering the money man and others spreading out, on guard for police.

“Someone is here.” The money man told the guards nearest him. “Find them.”

The guards spread out with their comrades searching the dim area.

Until the remaining lights were shattered, including the one next to Vlad. Another metal bat dropped at his feet.

“We need to get out of here. We’ve been made.” Vlad said, making a move to run.

The money man, grabbed his arm. “We go nowhere. These are not police tactics. Someone is becoming involved in our business. If they had the firepower to hurt us, we would have already been fired upon. Back the trailer to the water’s edge and we will use the crane to load it.”

Vlad thought of knocking the old man down, taking the girls and trying again another day but that would lead to other problems. His men, wherever they were, would not get paid nor would he. The Bratva would be furious at him for not following orders and having the Bratva angry at you was not healthy.

Vlad did as told and got into the truck. He began backing the truck up to the dock but with no light to see by other than the burning remains of the area around the walkway, he had to be cautious not to back into the water.

After a slow five minutes, he parked, grabbed his rifle and stepped out of the rig. It was still difficult to see but his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light somewhat. He heard no sounds of fighting, nor any gunshots but he could not make out the outlines of the men who were with him.

Vlad moved back to the area where he had left the money man and tripped over his body. The old man was on the ground unconscious, his arms tied behind his back and one leg at an angle that made it obvious it was broken.

“Hey! Everybody get over here!” Vlad shouted.

He heard no response, detected no movement at all.

His heart was racing, face covered in sweat and breathing rapidly. “Hello!? Is anybody there?”

“I am.” A voice whispered behind him, almost in his ear.

Vlad shouted and turned, rifle in front, only to feel it being taken from his hands. Something hard hit his forehead and knocked him to the ground.

He lay on his back, too frightened to move.

A dark figure resembling a demon from hell knelt over him. He couldn’t make out a single facial feature. It was like looking into living darkness.

A gloved hand closed round his throat, a knee pressed painfully into his chest and a deep, gravelly voice addressed him. “When you are in jail, you will be approached by someone from the Bratva, asking you what happened. Tell your bosses that the human trafficking business in Gotham City is closed down. I am going to dismantle every organized, criminal activity conducted by your people until they get the message. Next time, I won’t be so nice.”

Vlad felt a blow to his head and knew no more.

The dark figure looked around the area, satisfied with his work. He began tying up the ones he had knocked out, one by one and dragging them in front of the large truck. He made sure to crush the knees of every one of them to make it harder for them to escape.

Once he was satisfied they were contained, he began picking up the automatic rifles, emptying the clips and tossing them in a pile in front of the men.

Taking out the burner phone he picked up that morning, he made sure his voice modifier was activated and called Jim Gordon’s cell number.

“Hello?” A sleep-filled voice answered.

“Gotham Docks, slip fourteen, east end. You will find a number of Russian Mafia on the ground, restrained in front of a large semi-truck. They are most likely all wanted by international and state law enforcement agencies. There is a pile of automatic weapons in front of them that I would guess are illegal, all unloaded with their fingerprints on them.

“In the trailer, you will find twenty girls who have been abducted over the last several weeks. They were going to be moved to a large freighter docked here for the purpose of being sold into slavery. They are most likely malnourished and traumatized…”

“Who the hell is this?” Jim’s voice came over the line, very much awake now.

“Listen to me. Send an ambulance along with as many units as you can spare, quickly. In the ship, you will find manifests containing the dates and number of shipments that have set off from Gotham in the past year or more. Do you understand?”

A moment of silence before Gordon made his decision. “I will have units sent right away. Who are you?”

That was a fair question. Who was he?

In this time, in this place, he was the ghost of Bruce Wayne, the thing that had emerged from his pain. “I’m a friend. We will talk again, Commissioner.”

He opened the trailer and his blood boiled. He could see they were frightened of him. It was unavoidable that victims he saved would be frightened of his appearance.

But no one had gotten killed. Diana was wrong. He could do this, without becoming one of the monsters he would fight. He heard sirens nearby and knew it was time to take his leave. “You are safe now. The police are on their way and these men will no longer harm you. Stay in the trailer until the police arrive. It is over now.”

He took off, disappearing into the shadows but stayed on a nearby rooftop and watched the police arrive. He saw the Russians taken into custody to be transported by ambulance to the Gotham City jail’s medical facilities.

It was a successful night, but he knew the job was far from done. During the week he had been back in Gotham, he had walked the streets in disguise, heard rumors of Triad heroin trades, sex trafficking, and murderers who preyed on the weak and those who would not be missed.

Yes, Jim Gordon’s police department was a huge improvement over the one he had left, but there were still areas they couldn’t go, information he could find that they couldn’t, and thugs with automatic weapons that needed to be put away without endangering police and citizens in a shoot-out.

He would find the source of the weapons, he would break the Triad and continue to break the Bratva.

He would do what he came back to do.

---

Wayne Manor

Diana readied herself the next morning, after which she checked the basement to ensure Kara was exercising along with Dig who was lifting weights and Merlyn was not present and distracting her, then went to prepare their breakfast since it was her turn to cook.

To her pleasant surprise, Steve was up and waiting for her having dug into his toast, the limits of his cooking ability. She knew he would be working with Kara today on the plans for the aeronautics manufacturing plant and getting into his job as a liaison officer.

To her disappointment, Tommy Merlyn was still here. “Mr. Merlyn, I would have thought you would have disappeared in the middle of the night when you discovered my alcohol was locked up and there was no loud music in the house you could access.”

To her great irritation, rather than be offended, he smiled at her.

Could nothing make this man angry?

“I am trying out the quiet, estate lifestyle. I think I may buy my own. It is very peaceful here.” He said pleasantly.

“It will be soon. When are you leaving?” She asked, her tone light, but her question serious.

“Diana.” Steve whispered, slightly chastising her. Diana continued to stare at Tommy and ignored Steve.

Tommy raised his hands. “I honestly don’t know. I feel so warm and welcome here I’m not sure if you can let me go. I guess that’s up to Kara. I have nowhere to be and am enjoying hanging out with her.”

Diana smiled widely, her eyes squinting, latching on to what he said with no small amount of glee. “It doesn’t surprise me that you have nowhere to be. I suppose your father realized his company jet was gone because it left Gotham International last night. I would be happy to use our jet to return you to Star City. I can have it ready to be airborne in minutes.”

Steve nearly choked on his toast to stop laughing. Diana and Tommy may never be best friends, but they certainly were entertaining to watch together.

“Don’t worry about it, Tommy.” Steve said. “You could be an American hero who cured cancer and still Diana wouldn’t think you are good enough for Kara.”

“But he isn’t one.” Diana pointedly reminded Steve. “He isn’t an American hero, nor has he cured cancer. He hasn’t accomplished anything except adding notches on his bedpost.”

Tommy shrugged his shoulders, brushing off Diana’s remarks to address Steve’s. “I’m not worried about it. She will come around. It’s hard to not like me. We made progress yesterday. Kara and I hung out in the garden and Diana didn’t attack me when we held hands. The two of us complimented each other when I first arrived… as a matter of fact I think that should be a thing.

“Every morning, the two of us should say one or two nice things about the other. I know you can do it. You were polite with my father even though everyone except him could tell you despised him. I even caught you giving the stink eye to Moira when you thought no one was watching. This will help you interact with people you don’t like yet.”

“Yet?” Diana asked with a raised eyebrow.

Steve finished his toast and clapped his hands together declaring, “I like it. I’m in. Tommy, you have flown all this way to spend time with Kara and have acted like nothing less than a gentleman. I applaud your… recent good taste in women.”

Tommy grinned at the man then looked at Diana. “See how easy it is? Steve, I think it is so cool that you are an Air Force pilot. What you are able to do boggles my mind. Thank you for your continued service to our country.”

“You are welcome, Tommy.” Steve replied with a nod and grin.

Both men turned to Diana.

She sat back and took a sip of coffee then met Steve’s eyes. “Steve, you were wonderful in bed last night.”

The man smiled proudly and sat up straighter.

“You give the best back rubs.” He told her.

Tommy interrupted, waving his hands. “Okay, sick. This is an exercise between me and Diana, not you two reaffirming your obvious sexual chemistry.

“Diana, say something nice about me.”

Diana studied him, sipping on her coffee. “While you don’t seem that smart and have no ambition, you aren’t as repugnant as your father.”

Tommy snorted. “Okay, in the complex world of social interaction that is called a backhanded compliment. Let’s go with a straight up compliment. Seriously, I should charge you for this training.”

Diana set her cup down. “You treated Kara like a gentleman and made her happy last night. You also don’t seem to be afraid of me but that may be because you lack any self-preservation instinct or are just too stupid to know better… maybe both.”

Tommy shook his head and grimaced slightly. “Another back handed compliment but I’m going to let that one slide. My turn.

“Diana, your teeth are especially bright this morning, more so than usual. I can tell by the predatory look in your eyes you want to use them to render my flesh from my bones and should you ever give into your murderous impulses, I will die knowing I am being shredded by beautiful teeth. I also really love your dress. Green is a great color on you.”

Diana shook her head in annoyance, hoping the game was over and picked up her tablet to check the news.

“Come on, Diana, one more? Please?” Tommy requested, grinning widely when she sighed.

“Tommy, you are a… son of a bitch!” Diana finished in a near shriek.

“I don’t think that was meant for you, Tommy.” Steve assured him, looking concerned. “Diana? What’s wrong?”

Diana’s face was red, hot anger radiating from her and growing as she read the article to go with the headline that had caught her attention and ire.

“Diana? The look on your face is kind of scaring me right now.” Steve told her.

Even Tommy was sitting in silence. He had seen Diana annoyed but never seen the murderous look on her face now.

She grabbed her phone and dialed.

“Put the Mayor on.” Diana ordered. “No, you won’t put me on hold! This is Diana Wayne, and I will speak to him now!”

A second later, Diana took a deep breath and spoke in a calmer tone. “Mayor Garcia, I will be at your office in thirty minutes. I want to see Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon there as well. Make it happen and ensure I am not kept waiting.”

She ended the call and glanced at Steve as she stood. “You will have to ride in with Kara and Dig, Steve. I’m taking the Porsche. I will see you at the office later.”

Diana stormed off and Steve hesitantly took her tablet where she had left it in her haste to leave. He checked the headline and cringed as he read the story then slid it over to Tommy. “Trust me, kid, be grateful you are not Anthony Garcia right now. Heads are about to roll.”

“Who are Dent and Gordon? Probably don’t want to be them either.” Tommy observed as he took the tablet.

“Gotham D.A. and Police Commissioner.” Steve responded absently, his mind on the article.

Tommy looked at the headline and felt a shiver. Human trafficking of young girls by the Russian Mafia, one of the worst crimes in his opinion.

Then it struck him what had just happened. “Did Diana seriously just order the Mayor, the District Attorney and the Police Commissioner to meet with her?

Steve sighed, nodding. “Tommy, you have no idea how powerful she really is. Pray you never find out. Just be glad she likes you.”

“She likes me?!” Tommy asked incredulously.

“You need to understand something. You do not have any control or power here, so don’t think you do just because Kara wants you here. If Diana really wanted you gone, you would be gone.” Steve explained seriously. “But she sees something in you, or she would never let you around Kara, much less allow you to stay in the manor. She is testing your resolve. If you really want to get to know Kara, she is going to make sure you are worth her time, and she is going to make it difficult.”

“Let’s face it. Given your past, no matter how charming you think you are, you have a lot to prove. It’s up to you whether you think Kara is worth what Diana’s going to put you through.” Steve told an attentive Tommy. “She is giving you a chance though, and for what it’s worth, I’m rooting for you not to screw it up.”

Three men who knew how powerful Diana Wayne was were sitting in the Mayor’s office waiting nervously for her arrival.

Diana did not wait to be announced by the secretary or even knock. She opened the door, grabbed the lone open chair and sat, taking in the occupants of the room.

“I’m not going to waste our time with platitudes. Is the headline true?” She asked, looking at the police commissioner.

Gordon cleared his throat. “Yes, last night, we arrested sixteen men in possession of illegal weapons who had twenty girls that have gone missing over the last month locked in the back of a trailer about to board a freighter to parts unknown. A clear case of human trafficking.”

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling the tension headache she had felt all morning increasing. “A human trafficking ring, right under our noses. Dent, Garcia, when you were elected, the three of us and Jim sat in this very office and discussed our vision for the future of Gotham. We wanted a city cleaner and safer than even Metropolis. Do you all remember that conversation?”

The men nodded.

“Jim, do you not have the largest police department in the country? Do you need grants for more officers? Better equipment? More outreach programs, harbor patrol, anything? I have always told you to tell me what you need to clean up this city and I would get it for you.

“We wanted a city free of organized crime, one where we didn’t have to rely on jail house testimony of a double murderer to take down a crime syndicate. We all remember that conversation, do we not?”

“Yes, Diana.” Gordon said tiredly, having had little sleep and an extremely stressful morning already.

“I picked you men because I knew you are incorruptible. You are professional and passionate, dedicated to justice. I wanted a police department and politicians that could not be bought off by organized crime. I still believe you are those people.

“So, I must ask… how the hell did a sex trafficking ring happen right under our noses at our docks!? This is unacceptable! If this is happening, what else is going on?

“The docks are the one weak spot in the city, the starting point of every major illicit trade. Why are we not all over the docks? Why are police not stationed at high crime areas? Why are our harbor masters so incompetent that a large freighter can pull right up to our shores and take on a load of young captive girls and nobody notices!?”

Garcia finally opened his mouth. “It will be addressed, Diana. I promise you, we will find the problem in the harbor master’s department. If a hint of corruption is found, and I have a strong feeling there will be, we will bring them to justice. We have detectives already looking into the personal accounts of employees who have been on duty at the times the ship’s log show it arrived in Gotham.

“I will let you know if we need more resources to make sure this never happens again. There will be an increased police presence, including areas the girls were taken from.”

Diana stared at the man, making him sweat and adjust his collar.

“Is it Falcone’s old crew?” she finally asked. “Or is it Maroni? I thought we broke him, and he fled overseas before he could be arrested. Do we need to send another message?”

“Bratva.” Jim answered. “Russian mafia, very secretive, very dangerous. The Chechen may be attempting to reestablish his role, but he hasn’t been seen. Street level criminals hardly ever talk about the Russians. We had only heard whispered rumors from informants that they were in in Gotham. I thought perhaps the chatter was so quiet was because they were gone. We had no idea about the human trafficking or other activities, but I assure you, we will find out. They could be into arms trading, drug trafficking, a host of other things. Catching them last night was a big break. Apparently failing a mission is not something the Bratva takes lightly. Many are afraid for their lives and are talking just to be hidden.”

Diana’s jaw tightened, her eyes flashing.

Looking at Dent, she asked, “Witness protection already?”

“No, just staying out of general population right now.” He assured her, knowing Diana hated criminals being released for any reason. “I say for now because many of them are wanted for crimes in other states, some are unknown completely and I have no doubt the FBI will take them, then give them to the CIA or Homeland Security. Once the FBI show up this morning, the likelihood we get anything…”

Diana raised her hand. “I will speak to the FBI Director and make sure he understands the importance of sharing all the information his department collects with Gotham City P.D. I will also get assurances that any FBI agents that do arrive will be told by their superiors that they will cooperate with Commissioner Gordon or be reassigned.”

The men looked at each other. They all knew Diana had power. After all, each man here was in their current job because of her.

“I suppose you know the FBI Director?” Garcia finally asked curiously.

“Yes. Do not worry about the details. Find out what we need to know about the Bratva. Right now, Gotham City is known as the city that allowed young girls to be captured and sent into slavery.” Diana pointed out. “This will never happen again, gentleman. This is our home. This does not happen in Metropolis, and it will not happen here.”

“It won’t Diana.” Jim assured her.

Diana let out a breath, trying to regain her calm. “Tell me about the men who stopped them.”

Jim cleared his throat and pulled out a small, sharp piece of metal from his inside coat pocket.

Diana took it, turning it over in her hand. “A bat?”

“Several of these were found at the scene. It looks like they were used to knock out the street lights, plunging the area in darkness. I believe… I believe it could be one guy, the one who called me.”

“You believe one man took out over fifteen Russian thugs with fully automatic rifles without a shot ever being fired?” Diana asked, a bit in disbelief.

“It is possible. The girls said they were released by a giant bat. Some of the men don’t remember seeing anyone, just a light going out and pain then waking in cuffs surrounded by police. One man also described a man-sized bat. Every one of them had a leg broken in the same fashion. I believe as improbable as it sounds, it was one man.”

Diana closed her eyes for a moment and leaned back, musing over what Jim had told them. Fifteen men with automatic weapons. All it would have taken would have been one stray shot and she would have lost her brother again, this time for good.

“Did they describe him other than saying he looked like a bat?” she asked, hoping Bruce hadn’t revealed any physical description that could have led to his discovery.

“The girls only saw a dark figure with a black mask covering his entire face and wearing a black suit with a cape or wings. The mystery man did talk to one thug. He told him to send a message to his comrades that he would be hunting them, taking out any illicit business in Gotham. Then he was knocked unconscious like the rest. The thug described him the same way as the girls: dark clothes, mask with horns or ears on top and a black cape or wings.” Jim told them. “The thug referred to him over and over as the Batman. “

“How do we think this… Batman… knew about the Russian Mafia and we didn’t?” Garcia asked the two men. “You said informants were scared to talk about them.”

Gordon showed his hands in confusion. He had wondered himself. “He apparently has amazing sources on the streets, or he is a criminal as well, someone who is highly trained, maybe ex-military and overheard it on the streets and thought it was his job to stop it. Though how he had my private cell number, I will never know.”

Diana let out a breath and looked at the small razor sharp bat again. “Gentleman, I have calls to make. Let’s make sure a vigilante dressed in a Halloween costume does not make us look like fools again. Every part of Gotham City should be safe, and it is our responsibility to make it so.

“Jim, whatever you need, let me know and you will have it. This city is our responsibility and we allowed something insidious to happen right under our noses. It cannot and will not happen again. If nothing else, our children should be safe. I would suggest posting officers at bus stations to lead potential runaways to outreach centers we can open quickly.”

Seeing them nodding in agreement, she turned to the Police Commissioner. “Jim, I hope we are still on for dinner Friday night?”

“Of course, Diana. We wouldn’t miss it… and I am truly sorry. We will do everything we can to make sure this never happens again.” Jim was visibly distraught over what they had learned.

Diana nodded and stood. “I know, Jim. I reacted badly. Most of those girls are younger than Kara. If something like that happened to her, there would be blood in the streets. With all of us working together, we will fix this.

“I will see myself out. Good day, gentleman.”

The woman didn’t bother going to the office. She simply called Steve who assured her that he and Kara were hard at work, and no one was distracting her little sister, including Tommy Merlyn. She called Cathy to have her reschedule all of her morning meetings and scheduled calls.

Ten minutes later, she pulled up beside the downtown suites and tossed the keys to a valet.

Once she reached the top floor, she found Bruce in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee and threw the razor sharp object in his direction.

Bruce looked up with a smirk when the bat-shaped metal stuck in the cabinet inches from his head. “Good morning to you as well, sister. Something tells me some poor unfortunate souls had a bad morning at City Hall. Or did you visit them in the DA’s office?”

“I just wanted to return your metal bat.” Diana told him and fixed her own cup, then walked towards the balcony, Bruce following. The two had a seat and sat in silence, drinking coffee.

“I hear you are no longer afraid of bats.” She finally said.

“Is Kara still afraid of kangaroos?” he retorted.

Diana took a deep breath, holding back her anger, and said nothing.

“Have you ever been afraid of anything, Diana?” Bruce asked.

Diana looked at him sharply. “You know I have.”

Bruce rephrased his question, genuinely wanting to know. “Have you ever been afraid of anything besides Kara dying?”

Diana nodded. “Yes, I’ve been afraid over the past six years that my brother was dead. I’m beginning to see that he is.

“You could have called the police and let them know what was going on. Had you been shot, those girls would have never been found and this whole operation would have kept going. You felt you had to be the hero, didn’t you?”

Bruce snorted in disagreement. “If you knew it was going on, those men would be body parts on the dock this morning.”

Diana shook her head. “You are assuming that I would take them on myself when I have an elite police department outfitted with the best Kara can build and can call in the actual military among other government agencies to take down this little operation. I have the best of the best at my beck and call.”

“That, Bruce, is true power… that is what you never understood, what you refused to see in your mindless rage.” She nodded as she saw his face cloud over in anger. “I understand more than you believe I do, Bruce. There are reasons I walked away from your way a long time ago… because your methods have minimal, to no long-term impact to enact true change.

“I think you will find that the docks will be a lot harder for the mafias to infiltrate now… but by all means, continue your crusade. After all, I would hate that you threw away your family… your future… to achieve absolutely nothing.”

Bruce was incensed. He at least thought she would be appreciative of his efforts, see that he could produce results doing things his way. He should’ve known better.

Diana leaned forward, setting her cup down on the small table between them. “I won’t turn you in, but if you are caught, I am denying all knowledge, disavowing you and will do my best to see you placed in a better psychiatric hospital than Arkham Asylum. That is the most I can do. I would strongly suggest you desist in these acts and let my police department handle it.”

Bruce chuckled, scoffing at her. “ ‘My police department’. You have not changed, Diana. It has become abundantly clear since I have returned that I cannot count on your help.”

Diana stood up, preparing to leave when Bruce grabbed her arm. The woman looked at his hand then looked him in the eye, raising her eyebrow and Bruce quickly let go.

“Good choice.” She told him and turned to walk out when his voice stopped her.

“You were right, Diana. If you and Kara hadn’t been in Gotham, I still would have come here. I have to do what I am doing. I made a promise on our parents’ graves that I would succeed in my mission. I gave up everything to accomplish that. I gave up my family, and I gave up who I used to be. There was no other way for me.” Bruce told her, willing her to understand.

Diana shook her head. “You can continue telling yourself that, but it is not what our parents would have wanted… for you or our family. There was always another way.”

“No, there has only ever been your way.” Bruce pointed out. “That way was never going to work for me. You weren’t there. You have never known what it feels like to be helpless, to be a coward. You don’t know what it is like to be weak. You have never understood, and you never will.”

At his words, Diana visibly stiffened, eyes flashing in anger. “Since there is no reasoning with you, I suppose we have nothing more to say to each other.

“Pack up your shit and remove yourself from the penthouse by noon today. This building is owned by Wayne Enterprises, and I don’t want it involved with any criminal activities associated with vigilante acts.”

Diana walked out, the gulf between her and Bruce wider than it had ever been.