3. Unexpected Outcome
Years pasted till Bruce was 14 when an all too familiar event was taking place on a cold winter day, making Bruce real worried about the future.
"Bruce are you ready for tonight?" Martha spoke with a warm smile.
Bruce hesitated. "Do we hav.."
"Yes!" His mother stated "I do everything you and your father want." She huffed. "It's time we do something I want and It's the Opera."
Bruce nodded his head "Yes mother." He simply replied then thought to himself in silence. 'What do I do? Stay the whole show instead of leaving early or play sick? But if I do save them I can't be the Batman.' Bruce was torn he had a hard decision he couldn't figure out. 'Damn.'
"Alright, Alfred has the car ready lets go you two." Thomas broke him out of his thoughts.
"Come Bruce." His mother called to him.
Bruce clinched his fist and held back a sour feeling building in his nose. "Coming." This day was happening so fast and Bruce was regretting being Bruce Wayne. He had another wish but he knew he couldn't use it for this. Lots of thing might happen in the future that he might need it for. But he finely had the love of parents in his life, something he didn't have before.
Deep in his thoughts the car of 4 arrived infront of the dreaded "Monarch Theatre" in Park Row, where Bruce's childhood would end. 'Maybe it won't happen?' He questioned himself looking down Crime Alley.
"Bruce, come my dear." Martha brought him back to the present.
"Al go find a place to wait for us till we call you." Thomas spoke to Alfred.
Alfred nodded his head "Yes Master Thomas." He said as he drove off.
The three Wayne members walked into the Theatre two with smiles and one with a solemn expression. Once inside they met many people one that recognized Thomas Wayne was a unwelcome acquaintance.
"Mr. Wayne, its nice to see you." A fat balled man spoke with a stupid grin.
"Wish I could say the same for you Mayor Sharp." Thomas frowned. "Taking the office after a dead man must be tough."
"Well Mayor Borg was old anyhow it was expected... Could have been avoided if you would have backed my campaign but in the end I was provided, so no harm done." Sharp smiled even wider. " Enjoy the show Mr. Wayne." He said as he walked away.
"Those men.." Thomas said under his breath. "Lets go inside." He brushed the unpleasant encounter off.
An hour later the show was coming to an end leaving a fearful Bruce hoping things would be different. As the family walked out with the hundred plus people leaving they looked at the jam packed streets.
"I don't see Alfred." Thomas looked around. "He probably lost track of time, let's check the nearby cafe."
"Can't we just wait for him?" Bruce hurriedly spoke up.
"Nah that would take awhile for him to get through all this traffic anyhow." Thomas grabbed his sons hand. "Let's cut through this ally it will be faster."
"Why the ally? let's go around!" Bruce demanded.
"It's ok hunny, there is nothing to be scared of." Martha answered while grabbing his other hand and pulled him.
'Damnit why can't I stop this? It's like fate won't let me interfere.' Bruce thought. "..." Bruce tried to speak again but his words hit stuck in his throat as he watched a man long hair and a rough beared walk out of the shadows with a gun. 'No, why can't I speak?! PLEASE GOD NO!' Bruce could only watch things unfold.
The man stepped out infront of the Wayne family with his gun pointed at them. "Hello Wayne." The man had a wicked grin.
"Who are you what do you want?" Thomas stood infront of Martha and Bruce. "Here take my wallet I don't want any trouble."
"Hahaha, thanks how generous." The man took it. "But not why I'm hear." The man licked his lips as he pulled the trigger.
*BANG*
"Should have been a good boy." The man spoke as Thomas's body fell to the ground with a bullet in his head.
"NOO!!" Martha screamed as she held Bruce behind her.
*BANG* *BANG*
The mans gun went off twice hitting Martha in the shoulder and the side of the head. All this happened in slow motion in Bruce's eyes as he watched his mother fall to the ground. His legs trembled no words could be said but his body acted on its own running towards the man that just killed his parents.
"What the hell?" The man questioned the kid that tackled his gut bringing him down to the ground.
Bruce started blindly swinging his fist hitting any part of the mans body he could, his eyes had tears poring out and also a look of anger on his face. 'I couldn't save them but I'd be damned if I let him walk!' This was the only thought going through his mind.
*BANG*
Another shot rang out in Bruce's ears as his body went limp and his eyesight went dark.
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*BANG*
"Shots fired at Park Row" A man talked into a radio on his chest he had on a blue uniform with black letters spelling out "GCPD" on his back and a name tag on his chest that said "J. Gordon" along with his GCPD badge.
*BANG* *BANG*
Gordon strated running in the direction he heard the shots. "Need backup, multiple shots fired!"
*BANG*
Arriving at the location of the shots Gordon sall a man with a gun and three body's "FREEZE, DROP YOUR WEAPON AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!" He ordered.
The other man looked surprised and looked at the cop. "FUCK YOU!" He said as he pointed his gun.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
Three shots went off two from the unknown man and one from Gordon. "I need an ambulance in the ally infront of Monarch Theatre!" Gordon walked to the man and kicked his gun away and cuffed him. Then he checked the pulses on everyone.
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"This is terrible." Alfred the family butler stood in the Gotham City Memorial Hospital with Officer Gordon. "What of this Joe Chill?"
"Chill is in the ER with a shot to the chest, doctors say he will live... Once done he will be charged with murder and sent to Black Gate." Gordon answered his question with a grim face. "If you will excuse me, I have a report to write."
The Butler looked up at the TV that was showing the days news. "Master Bruce." he whispered to himself.
"Today is a sad day for Gotham City residents, last night two influential family's are in mourning. One man by the name of Joe Chill brutally attacked both the Wayne and Dent family. Late last night the Wayne family had gone to the Monarch Theatre and had been brutally gunned down, Thomas Wayne was killed leaving Martha Wayne and Bruce their 14 year old son in critical condition, no further details have been provided at this moment. Judge Harry Dent was killed in car bombing early this morning on his way to Gotham Superior Courthouse, the materials of for making the bomb have been found in Joe Chills apartment, Judge Dent leaves behind a widow and son. The man that attacked both family's was shot by Officer James Gordon and sent to Gotham Hospital where he is also in critical condition. There are debates in City Hall for where Joe Chill will be sent, many feel that Mr Chill is mentally ill and must be sent to Arkham Asylum for treatment instead of the death sentence in Black Gate...." The news report went on.
"Alfred Pennyworth?" A doctor walked up behind the butler.
"Yes doctor?" Alfred turned and met his eyes.
The doctor held a clipboard in his hand and read off it. "Mrs. Wayne has suffered two gunshot wounds, one in the chest amd another to the head. We managed to extract both bullets and she is now in a stable condition. But the bullet grazed the part of her brain that handles memory and comprehension it also put her in a coma, we can't be sure when or if she will wake and if she dose wake she may have no memory of anything." The doctor sighed and flipped the paper to another page. "Young Bruce is alright, we managed to extract the bullet from him it missed his stomach by a few inches..."
The doctor trailed on as Alfred wished this was just a nightmare he would wake up from at any moment.
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One week later Bruce awoke with dull dead eyes and a slight pain in his gut. 'Why?' Bruce thought to himself as memories of his past 14 years of his new life past through his head.
Alfred walked in not noticing Bruce was awake at first. "MASTER BRUCE?!" Alfred rushed to his side. "You are awake thank god."
That made Bruce chuckle in his mind 'Why wouldn't he let me stop it from happening? Why did fate drive us forward? Why God?' Bruce was sad, angry and confused, emotions he hadn't experienced in his previous life he had never experienced family loss like this. He wanted to cry but nothing came out only silence till Alfred spoke.
"I'm sorry Master Bruce, I should have left earlier to beat traffic..." Alfred paused with a bleak expression. " You're father has passed." The butler started shedding tears. "I failed You and Your mother, I'm sorry. I-I'll.."
"My mother is alive!?" Bruce looked hopeful. ' This outcome was unexpected.' Bruce thought to himself.
Alfred explained what has happened to his mother and himself and also what of the person that caused it all which was the infamous "Joe Chill" Alfred even told Bruce about the Dent family loss. Alfred also told him about the investigation and the final verdict of Joe Chill which was having him sent to Arkham Asylum, while the investigation only brought a notebook saying Dent and Mr. Wayne offended Chill, he was marked as mentally ill and that was that. This had Bruce enraged but he didn't show it on his face, he was still dead eyed and pale. Bruce also managed to talk Alfred out of quitting his position as a Butler for the Wayne family, Bruce knew it wasn't his fault it was fate that kept driving this outcome. Bruce needed Alfred because he was the current guardian of Bruce, the Dents would have been next but they had also suffered a loss so that wasn't happening.
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A few months passed and Bruce was back at an empty manor and his mother still in a coma in the hospital. Bruce had Alfred fire the manor staff because it was just himself and Alfred, he also wanted to limit people from knowing about his Batman escapades. With a fire in his eye he started working out, building his body so he could use the super solider serum. He even started studding hard about anything that would help him in the future like reading technical books on science, tech, construction, anything he could get his hands on.
Once Bruce turned 15 he asked Alfred to get him teachers so he could learn different fighting techniques starting with Boxing, Muay Thai, Jinjutsu, Karate, Martial Arts and more. He learned as much as he could till he was 20 so that he could take control of Wayne Enterprises, it was being run by the capable hands of Regina Jones. Bruce never stepped out of the manor once nor did he see his friends Rachel or Harvey, they showed up at his manor but he sent Alfred out to send them off. Alfred didn't like how Bruce became a shut-in, Bruce would only say it's planning for the future. He hadn't even seen his mother who was still in a coma, he had Alfred check up on her every Friday. A few days after Bruce's 18th Birthday he finally started his plans.
"Alfred, I need you!"