Bruce woke up confused. He sat up and checked his surroundings. He saw that he was in a large bed. The room was clearly that of a child's, although it was still quite nice. His mind raced; first, he relied heavily upon all his training to figure out where he was, then he noticed. His body had changed. He was no longer the large, scarred man he had once been but was now just a child.
'What the hell? What happened? Where am I? And why am I a kid?'
Suddenly, he got a mild headache as memories passed through his head. He was Bruce Wayne, but he was also Bruce? Bruce something he couldn't remember his former last name, but that didn't matter. What did matter was whether or not he was Bruce Wayne with the former Bruce's memories or if he was Bruce in Bruce Wayne's body.
But before he could investigate any further, he heard a sudden noise. DING! A semi-transparent blue and black screen appeared before him.
Hello! Master, I am the ultimate system created for you by you in order to assist you! I can only be seen and heard by you! Also, you can communicate with me telepathically to avoid looking like a fool. Would you like to activate the AI function?
[Yes] [No]
He was shocked. This was completely inexplicable. He was in a situation he could only dream of, yet it was real. He took a moment to think and adjust to his current situation. He went to click yes when he suddenly decided to do it mentally.
'Yes'
The screen selected yes with a ding. Then another panel showed up. What kind of voice would you like? It had a few options: masculine, feminine, monotone, beastly, mechanical, ambiguous. He decided on feminine and immediately clicked it. From there, he was met with a keyboard and a space for typing. Above it asked him to describe the voice he wanted.
"What to pick, what to pick?"
He brought a hand to his chin and wrapped the other around his stomach. He was sitting in a thinking pose for about a minute and a half. He started typing and talking. He wanted the voice to sound cool yet sexy like a hot secretary. After typing and entering that into the system, it began to load.
As it was loading, the voices outside the room began to grow louder. Bruce moved the screen to the side. The door slid open and a familiar man walked in.
He was a dignified gentleman with a slender, refined build. He sported a neatly trimmed mustache, adding to his distinguished appearance. His attire was a classic black suit, complete with a white dress shirt, black bow tie, and polished black shoes. His meticulous grooming and composed demeanor reflected his background as a seasoned butler and former military man, projecting an air of professionalism and sophistication.
"Alfred?"
"Master Bruce, you're awake!"
He rushed over to Bruce and kneeled beside his bedside.
"How are you feeling, Master Bruce?"
"Um, I'm fine. A little bit hungry, but I'm okay."
"I'll bring you breakfast right away!"
"Wait, Alfred, who was that in the hallway?"
Alfred's face darkened slightly, and he frowned.
"The police are here. They want to ask you some questions about last night. But don't worry, you don't have to speak to them yet. You can go eat breakfast, and I'll speak with them."
Bruce, hearing this, began to remember the events that took place in Crime Alley. An immense wave of sadness flooded through him. He recalled the death of his parents as though he was there, that they were his own firsthand experiences fresh in his mind. He lowered his head, his dark hair shadowing his eyes.
Alfred, seeing his distress, felt a pang of guilt spike his heart. He regretted reminding the boy of the tragic night's events.
"Master Bruce, I'm…"
"It's alright, Alfred. I'll have a few bites, and then I'll talk to them."
"Very well, Master Bruce. I'll get started right away."
Alfred stood up and took a few steps back. Bruce slipped out of bed. Alfred turned to leave, and Bruce began to follow.
Reaching the door, Alfred began to turn the knob when he noticed Bruce following him.
"Master Bruce, you should get changed first."
Bruce looked down and realized he was still wearing his pajamas.
"Ah! Oh! Right, I'll be right there, Alfred."
"Of course, Master Bruce."
Leaving the room and closing the door quickly yet softly, Alfred strode down the hall. Meanwhile, Bruce began to change. He put on simple black shorts and a t-shirt.
Making his way down the giant halls, he navigated to a balcony overlooking the front door. He heard two voices. Looking down the entrance from above, he saw two men in trench coats standing there talking to each other. One was a young man with ginger hair and a square face. The other was somewhat overweight and wore a black fedora. They were speaking rather loudly and gesturing with their hands.
"I'm telling you, Jim, this is a waste of our time!"
"Come on, Harvey, we need to at least follow up! You know that!"
"The kid already told us all he knows!" Harvey flung his arms into the air. He turned around and put his hands on his hips.
"It's already bad enough we've been here over an hour, and the butler won't even let us see the kid! But now he even wants us to wait until he finishes breakfast! I'm just saying, Jim, we're going nowhere pretty fast."
"Sigh… Look, let's just talk to the kid. Alright?"
"Fine, whatever, but I don't want to spend a moment longer in this crappy as—"
"Ahem. Well, if the two of you are tired of waiting, then please join me for breakfast." Bruce spoke up, looking down at the two men. He hadn't stumbled across the two men by accident. Not only had he heard their voices earlier, but Bruce had taken it upon himself to already start acting more akin to his true nature. So he had been checking every inch of the mansion for any discrepancies from that of his newfound memories. Luckily, there were none; however, he was too paranoid to believe that. Right now, though, he had more pressing matters.
Mainly the two men loudly complaining in his doorway. Normally, he wouldn't have even encountered them on the way to the dinner table. However, he took a detour to take care of his unwanted guests. Jim and Harvey, startled by his sudden presence, simply stared up at him.
"Well, follow me." Bruce said as he turned around and began to walk away. Jim and Harvey quickly glanced at each other before scurrying up the stairs.
Hurrying after him, Jim began to speak, "Bruce, I'm Officer James Gordon. We met last night at the station."
Still following him, Jim motioned with his hands toward Harvey. "This is Officer Harvey Bullock. He was one of the officers who had some questions for you."
"I'm sure you do. Let's wait until we reach the dining room, then I'll answer some of your questions."
As they made their way to the dining room, Bruce began to recall the events of last night in detail. Mainly, he focused on what happened at the station. He had interacted with multiple officers that night but mainly three: James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Daniel Corrigan. However, now only Harvey and Jim were here, so where was Daniel? Still, he could worry about that later.
Arriving in a well-decorated dining room, they sat at a long brown table that spanned the entire hallway in a U shape. As soon as they sat, Harvey spoke.
"So, kid! Last night…" he began, pulling out a notebook. The two officers started to question Bruce while they sat. He had only told them information that the previous Bruce would have had. Soon, Alfred arrived with food for Bruce and saw the two policemen. He placed the food for Bruce before addressing the two in an ice-cold, stern tone.
"I believe I asked the two of you to wait until Master Bruce was ready for you? Or was I perhaps unclear when I told you to wait by the front door? Perhaps it was too much of a courtesy to allow you in at all."
The two cops looked somewhat pensively at the butler. But before they could respond, Bruce spoke up.
"It's alright, Alfred. I asked them to join me. Please, if the two of you have any questions, feel free to ask."
The two looked like they both had something to say, but Gordon spoke first.
"Thank you so much, Bruce. Now, I wonder if you happened to have seen anything that would have made it seem that this man knew who you were."
"No, I couldn't even see the man's face. He just asked for my parents' money. He also tried to take my mother's pearls."
Gordon nodded, and the two officers continued to ask questions. All seemed to be going well until Harvey asked one particular question.
"Ya know? For a kid who just lost his parents, you're holding up pretty well."
It struck Bruce that he only felt the grief of his parents' loss when he focused on it. It still bothered him that he didn't really know who he was. Still, he could investigate that later. Alfred, who was standing behind Bruce to his right, began to frown deeply.
The two detectives, seeing Bruce get lost in thought and Alfred upset, looked at each other. Gordon gave Harvey a dirty look, as if to say,
'Great, look at what you just did.'
Harvey shot one back that seemed to say,
'I don't know how to talk to kids, man!'
Gordon looked back at Bruce and spoke.
"I'm sorry for my partner's rudeness. What he's trying to ask is, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Bruce answered briefly but coldly. Alfred, seeing this, became even more serious and stepped forward.
"I think it's about time you leave."
Harvey looked like he wanted to speak again, but Gordon cut him off one more time.
"Of course. Our apologies for the intrusion. We'll be taking our leave."
Bruce followed as Alfred led them to the door. Opening the door, the two men stepped outside. They both took their umbrellas from a rack by the door, gave their final goodbyes, and let them know if they needed anything else. It was cloudy and raining outside. The two walked off toward a police car and eventually drove away. As soon as they left, Bruce quickly turned around and started walking back towards the stairs.
"Alfred, I need your help."
Alfred turned around and followed him. He had a questioning look on his face.
"Anything you need, Master Bruce! What is it that you need?"
"I need to go see my parents and the evidence from that night."
Alfred became shocked and began to walk at a faster pace. He got in front of Bruce and spoke.
"Master Bruce! Whatever would you need that for? Also, you're grieving. I cannot in good conscience allow you to see your parents' bodies… in that state, at least. Why would you want to see them like that?"
"Because, Alfred, I need to see the gun and identify it."
He began walking past him again when Alfred grabbed his shoulder. "Master Bruce, the police are already doing their best. You should leave it to them."
"No, I can't afford to wait until they solve the crime. Besides, I already know who did this."
Extreme shock appeared on Alfred's face. He was left speechless. Bruce knew who it was? Then why hadn't he said anything to the police? And what was he planning to do?
"M-Master Bruce, why didn't you say anything? Why not tell the police who it was?"
"Because, Alfred… I'm going to take vengeance myself, and it will be... ICE COLD."