Bruce had managed just four hours sleep before he was up again at 8am, dressed up in a coat and a tie, sneaking off to grab one of his family's cars to head into the city. He was surprised to find Alfred standing in the garage looking back at him. "What're you doing in the garage, Alfred?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Master B. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
He shook his head. "I can't, not now. Time is ticking down, Alfred. With Katherine Monroe gone, I've reason to believe whatever's going to happen will happen very soon."
"Well before you go running off," said Alfred. "There's one really important thing you've forgotten."
A mental list of everything that had been said or explored related to Ra's and the Court ran down through Bruce's mind. He knew he'd covered most of the basics of what they understood of the case, which made him all the more curious as to what Alfred might be referring to. "And what might that be?"
"That it's your birthday," stated Alfred with a grin.
"Really..." Bruce couldn't deny that it'd completely slipped his mind. Kinda felt a little frivolous to indulge in a celebration at such time.
"I kind of thought that you might decide to sneak off at some point, and without me here to stop you, you'd end up ruining your own surprise."
"Surprise?"
Alfred walked up and handed him a little red box neatly wrapped in a black bow. "Happy birthday, Master Wayne."
A birthday surprise was the last thing that Bruce had expected that morning, yet he figured that he could do with a brief distraction. "I can't believe you remembered," he said as he picked up the box, a smile reflected on his own face.
"Of course I remembered. I bloody love your birthdays," declared Alfred proudly. "Your seventh was an absolute binder. Yeah, I remember you had about fifty kids come up here, but you were off outside, on your own. You were obsessed by this one gift that your dad gave you - this bright red wagon. You were in the garden all day collecting all these rocks. When I asked you what you were gonna do with all these rocks, you said, 'I'm gonna build a home, for my wagon. A secret place that only I know about.'"
Bruce remembered that event. He remembered the red wagon. The same wagon he'd brought with him everywhere he went - till the day he lost his grip on it and it went tumbling into a hole on the ground, leading into a cavern hidden out somewhere on the property. In an effort to rescue the wagon, he'd attempted to climb into the gaping cavity, only to slip and land in the darkness, badly twisting his ankle in the process. Both Alfred and his father only found him after about an hour's search, and fished him out of the cavern; more traumatized by the resident bats that'd swarmed him during the time he spent down there, than concerned about his swelled up ankle. Dr Thomas Wayne bordered up the entry point during the time Bruce was sitting at home, getting his ankle iced. They never retrieved the wagon.
Tugging on the bow, Bruce lifted up the cover on the box, and found a remote controller sitting inside with a single large button in the middle of it. "What's this?"
"It's the reason why I made it a point to stand here in the garage before you got here yourself, Master Bruce."
Bruce picked up the remote and pressed the button. A resulting engine purred into action. Alfred stepped aside, revealing a new car in the garage; a black matte-shaded Ford Mustang with a low front and an arched back. Surprised by the reveal, Bruce walked over to examine the vehicle. "Alfred, I don't know what to say."
"V-8, five liter, 460 horsepower engine. Painted matte black, anti-reflective. Very difficult to see at night. Oh and of course this..." Alfred pulled a gun out of a holster hidden under his jacket, and shot at the car. The bullet ricocheted off the frame without leaving so much as a dent. "100% bulletproof. Best be prepared, eh?"
Looking at the beauty of a vehicle sitting right before him, Bruce found himself lacking the words to express how he felt about Alfred's gift to him. It wasn't just the effort of saving the money for such an extravagant present, or the fact that he'd stayed up all night to surprise him, but it was a sign that in spite of all the protests, Alfred condoned what Bruce had set his mind to do, and wanted to lend his support. Bruce knew there was only one way to thank him properly. He turned around and enveloped Alfred in a big hug.
"Oh oh... mate," chuckled Alfred.
9:30am, just half an hour after the realtor office had opened its doors to the public, Bruce Wayne waltzed in with a charming smile on his face. He walked right up to the lady at the front desk, and leaned over the side. She figured she must be a whole ten years older than him, but he had just hit the peak end of his adolescent phase and already had both the height and the appearance of a man. "Hi there," he said to her, as though he'd met her before.
"H... hi Mr Wayne?" replied the lady, a little unsure of how she might approach the billionaire.
He picked up the tag at the user end of her desk, and read it out loud, "Lindsey Nasser is glad to serve you." His chestnut-brown eyes flicked back in her direction. "Nice name... Lindsey."
"Thanks." She knew she was getting flustered, and for a moment felt a tinge of embarrassment that it was over - well... essentially a teenager. There was something magnetic about him nonetheless. "How can I help you today, Mr Wayne?"
"Yes, I'm thinking about purchasing some property. Close to town, to be exact."
Instinctively, her fingers hovered over the keyboard to her side. "Which part of the city would you like? I'd be pleased to list you all the available units."
"Not just any unit," he said, still keeping his gaze trained on her. "One in particular. The town house belonging to Ms. Katherine Monroe."
"Oh.." Lindsey set to work, typing the details into the system, and waited till the results presented themselves on screen. A frown worked its way onto her face. "Gee... I'm sorry Mr Wayne, it seems Ms. Katherine Monroe has recently sold off her property. She's to hand over her keys next week."
Bruce wasn't particularly surprised by the news, it'd only confirmed what he thought she might've done. "Do you know which property she's purchased in place of the one she's sold?"
"Uh..." Lindsey said uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, but that information is confidential."
Sighing audibly, Bruce clasped his hands together. "That is a real pity. You see, Katherine is an old friend of the family's and I know how precious that town house has been to her. After all, it's been in her family for... quite a long time. I know she's been having money problems, due to some bad share investments. I'd have hoped that she'd feel at ease to approach me for a loan, but I take it that she was embarrassed to do so. And now she's lost a vital piece of the Monroe heritage. How tragic! Wouldn't you think so, Ms. Nasser?"
Lindsey nodded readily. Feeling bad for Katherine Monroe already.
"Well... it seems I can't stop this exchange, but perhaps if I knew where she plans to reside next, I can pay her a visit... perhaps improve her way of life," Bruce Wayne turned a charming smile towards Lindsey, and she found herself staring at the results on her screen. "Perhaps both of us can do a good deed today, don't you think, Ms. Nasser?"
"Mr Wayne - I'm really not supposed to tell you this but, I'd noticed something odd about Ms. Katherine Monroe's other purchase. It isn't the address of a house, but of a hangar."
"A hangar?" Bruce straightened up. "The sort that houses planes?"
Lindsey laughed lightly. "I suppose one can house a plane there too. But this one in particular was built for housing blimps. That's why it has a retractable skylight. Perhaps Ms Monroe is thinking about jump starting a blimp rental service?"
Bruce nodded. "Perhaps. If that's so, I'd like to pay her a visit to help her with her new endeavor." He subtly motioned towards her screen. "If you'd be so kind as to aid me in that effort, Ms. Nasser?"
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she sent the document to the printer. "Already on it, Mr Wayne. Let me just black out some of the details before handing you the document, but the address is all yours."
He grinned. "I am greatly indebted to you, Lindsey."
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