Bruce

I realised you don’t want me as Robin anymore, so I decided to return to Crime Alley. You can tell the news guys I’m a criminal or whatever, I’ve heard worst. I’m sorry I couldn’t do what you wanted me to do. I won’t tell anybody about you, your secrets safe with me.

Jason

Alfred and Bruce went through the letter together.

“I’m surprised he managed to bypass the security systems,” Alfred said. “Though you did mention he stole a tyre from the Batmobile so I’m not surprised.”

“That means I have to strengthen security around here,” Bruce said.

“Are you not going to look for the boy?” Alfred asked as Bruce stormed off.

“No,” Bruce said. “Doing so would be burdensome and slow me down.”

As Alfred saw his Master return to his work as if Jason had never existed, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of disappointment and what his Master had become.

…

It was during breakfast that Aunt May decided to drop the biggest bombshell Peter heard.

“I’m seeing someone,” Aunt May said.

Peter stared at her in confusion and when realisation set in, he’s mouth dropped wide open. A mix of anger and a bunch of confusing feelings swirled through his mind.

“I… what?”

“It’s not something serious,” Aunt May said with a smile. “Or at least I thought it wouldn’t be. But he’s so kind, Peter and so sweet. I’d like you to meet him.”

“But… but,” Peter wanted to say Uncle Ben, he wanted to say a lot of things. “What about Uncle Ben? What about…?”

“I’m sorry to drop this on you so suddenly,” Aunt May said.

“You should be!” Peter snapped and then calmed himself. “Look I’m sorry. I just…”

“It’s okay, Peter,” Aunt May said, seeming calm despite the bombshell she had just dropped. “I just thought it’d be better I told you now so we can talk all about it when I get home.”

Peter sighed. “I… okay. It’s just…”

“It’s okay, Peter,” Aunt May said. “Just because I met someone new doesn’t mean I loved Ben any less. It’s just…”

“We’ll talk about this later, please,” Peter said. “I need some time.”

“I understand, Peter,” Aunt May said. “Take all the time you need.”

“I’ll need a lot of time,” Peter said, the words coming out a lot harsher than he intended. “Believe me.”

…

In his letter to the board, Curt Connors made it clear that he wanted the board to cut of all the funding of his project. He made his intention to resign even clearer.

He gave the envelope to the board’s secretary who said they’d send it as soon as possible. Not even an hour before he had sent the letter through, he got a call from Sawyer.

“Connors, what the fuck are you doing?” Sawyer said. “Do you know what the hell is going to happen to you? The Master Planner is going to hear about this, I'm telling you now..."

Curt hung up. Curt was bombarded with calls and when those didn’t go through, text messages but he ignored all of them. Instead, he called Martha.

“Hey,” Curt said. “Would it be possible for me to see Billy today?”

“Sure,” Martha said. “There’s nothing going on. What about work?”

“I’m done with all of that.”

Martha seemed like she wanted to say something but before she could, Curt hung up. He gave one last look at the stump that was once a hand, clutching it as the bad memories started to swell through his head.

He let it pass through his head, all the good, all the bad. And then…

He let go.

It was finally time to let go.

…

Gotham High was bustling with activity this morning. Peter met Barbara by the parking lot. He walked by her side as Barbara started going on about the case.

“I researched the samples,” Barbara explained. “I got a weird mix of human DNA and bat DNA.”

Peter nodded. His thoughts were preoccupied with the bombshell May had dropped on him this morning.  

“But sure enough, despite the intermingling of DNA the closest match I could find was James Santini,” Barbara said. “We found him Pete.”

Barbara had such a huge grin on her face, she turned to see that Peter didn’t share it.

“What’s wrong?”

Peter’s focus returned to the conversation. “Sorry. You were saying we found James? That’s great.”

Barbara could see that Peter didn’t feel what he said. 

“Yeah, but you don’t seem great,” Barbara said. “What’s wrong?”

“Aunt May is seeing someone.”

“I… wow.”

“Yeah I know,” Peter said. “And I don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, she deserves to be happy but on the other…”

“Uncle Ben.”

“Yeah,” Peter said. “Does that mean she didn’t love him? I mean she moved on so easily, how can she move on so easily?”

“I can’t speak for Aunt May,” Barbara said. “But just because she’s seeing someone else doesn’t mean she didn’t love your Uncle.”

“Well, it sure as hell feels like she didn’t!” Peter snapped. And then he sighed. “Look I’m sorry. I think I just need time to process all of this. It’s so… so confusing. You were saying something about James’s DNA?”

“Yeah,” Barbara said. “He has some bat DNA in him. That’s what’s causing all these changes.”

“Bat DNA?” Peter said, raising an eyebrow. “That doesn’t make sense. I mean, Dr. Connors and I were researching DNA integration. There’s no way some scammers could pull something like that off.”

“Unless we’re not dealing with some scammers,” Barbara said. “Has Dr. Connors’s research ever been stolen?”

“Not that I know off,” Peter said. “There’s barely any security but with how WayneTech works if someone did try and steal it, we’d know of it by now. The only people who could’ve done something like this are me or…”

Peter felt a cold pit in his stomach.

“You’re thinking of what I’m thinking.”

“No,” Peter said. “There’s no way Dr. Connors would do something like this. I… I’ve worked with him. He’s a good man… I…”

Barbara placed a reassuring hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“This is just not my day, is it?” Peter said with a self-depreciating chuckle.

“On the plus side, at least you don’t have to go up these stairs with a wheelchair,” Barbara said.

Peter noticed they’d finally reached the staircase. “Do you need any…?”

“No,” Barbara said. “My dad lodged a complaint. I don’t think the school’s going to ignore one from the police commissioner.”

Barbara dragged her wheelchair up the stairs. Suddenly, Peter could feel eyes burning into them. Everybody was starting to look. He hated that look of pity, they all looked at Barbara like she was some kind of alien rather than a person when they wouldn’t have bothered if she wasn’t on the wheelchair.

Peter was just about ready to tell them off, but Barbara grabbed his hand.

“Stop.”

“But…”

Barbara sighed. “Yelling at them won’t make things easier.”

“What will?”

Barbara was about to say a freaking ramp but that would be further from the truth. The truth was…

“I… don’t know,” Barbara said, trying to hide her shaking hands from Peter. “I don’t know.

…

Change occurs subtly, slowly. You can never truly trace when change begins to start but you can usually see where it ends. It occurs so slowly that we’re usually prepared for it.

But sometimes change occurs out of nowhere and we’re not equipped to deal with it and the only response we have is to accept it or lash out.

In an unassuming Wednesday morning, Gotham City found itself a victim to the latter type of change.

Flashing on the TV screens all over Gotham was a man wearing a pair of black goggles, the red light on his computer screen reflected in the lenses looking like fire. His voice echoed in all the radios. He didn’t have to do anything to know the newspapers would be talking about him later this afternoon.

The Master Planner was everywhere.

“Good morning, people of Gotham City,” the Master Planner said. “It’s been a while. It seems I stirred quiet a bit of discourse during my last announcement. The truth can be quiet a bitter pill to swallow. It seems Bruce Wayne hasn’t responded to these allegations, how very unfortunate. I expected better of him and I’m sure I speak for all of Gotham when I say that.”

The Master Planner paused. All around Gotham, the police and desperate radio announcers spurred into action trying their best to cut the broadcast, but whatever it is the Master Planner was doing all their attempts were failing.

“We talked about the truth, how Thomas and Martha Wayne embezzled funds from Gotham’s premiere crime boss,” the Master Planner said. “But did you know the media caught wind of that?”

All over the TV screens, a picture flashed of a man with long black hair. “Edward Elliot was a fine journalist, eager to expose the corruption of Gotham City. Unfortunately, the Waynes and Falcone caught wind of that and…”

A news article of Edward Elliot alleging that he had committed suicide flashed on the screen.

“They covered it up,” the Master Planner said. “Soon, articles, news reports and pictures the Wayne Family will not want you to see will be plastered on every possible website, every forum.”

And soon enough, dozens of articles flashed onto the screen. Scandals, stories, media reports the Waynes didn’t want the world to see. Reports that were as old as Gotham itself.

“Before I leave,” the Master Planner said. “Did you know Wayne Inc have majority shares in many of the news outlets in Gotham, in Metropolis, in America? They even have shares on the social media websites you use every day.”

The Master Planner chuckled. “The truth is a very fickle thing indeed. Good afternoon, people of Gotham. See you next time.”

Screens all around Gotham flashed to black, coming back to life with news reports of the situation that happened. Meanwhile, all the people who got this news through the radios were only left with static.