Chapter Text
~The Daily Planet~
December 3, 2014
Special Evening Edition
GOTHAM BILLIONAIRE’S CRIMEFIGHTING NIGHTLIFE
Special Report by Lois Lane-Kent
One of the greatest mysteries ever faced by law enforcement and so-called “super-villains” alike has been solved: the identity of Gotham, New Jersey’s very own Caped Crusader, the Batman. None other than Bruce Wayne, philanthropist and CEO of Wayne Enterprises, hides under the iconic cowl. An anonymous tip mailed to the Daily Planet indicated Mr. Wayne was involved in nighttime vigilantism. Photographs included with the mailing (some of which are reproduced on page A3) show Mr. Wayne in full Batman costume sans mask, Batman and Robin regalia in what is unmistakably Wayne Manor, and visual comparisons of Mr. Wayne’s face beside Batman’s, with all visible aspects matching up.
“I can assure you we had no idea that Mr. Wayne was the one assisting us,” says Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. “We weren’t giving him any favors outside of our official duties.” Detective Harvey Bullock adds that he “couldn’t be too surprised. For someone with such an active social life, Wayne always was pretty secretive if you dug into things.”
But some wonder why Mr. Wayne chose to keep his nighttime activities secret in the first place. He is an outspoken activist in the mental health field, and one of the main donors to Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum. Some find the idea that someone so dedicated to the treatment of the mentally ill would beat them to a pulp on a regular basis appalling. “I think it’s sick,” says one member of Arkham’s non-medical staff who wishes to remain unidentified. “Slams their faces into the sidewalk at night then pays their medical bills the next day. I don’t know what his game is, but I don’t like it.”
Mr. Wayne’s alter ego Batman is known throughout Gotham’s criminal community for his brutality. Common targets of his are several patients receiving treatment in Arkham, who have been known to escape the facility and cause havoc. While some, such as the Joker (real name unknown) and the Scarecrow (real name Dr. Jonathan Crane) are incredibly violent and dangerous, many others including the Riddler (real name Edward Nigma) commit more mischief than crime. Mr. Wayne’s method of dealing with these individuals entails harsh beatings that result in injuries of varying severity, not to mention the psychological effects on these already unbalanced individuals. Arkham staff have observed nothing but fear and resentment from patients when the Batman is brought up, whether in therapy or conversations between patients when they are given time to socialize.
Mr. Wayne has declined to comment on this revelation and refuses to allow either of his children to speak with reporters. But questions have arisen over the kind of home life that Mr. Wayne could have provided. Mr. Wayne was the legal guardian of Richard Greyson and Jason Todd, the latter of whom died several years ago the age of seventeen. He is also the biological father of Damian Wayne, age 11. Timothy Drake, who has grown up being a close friend of Mr. Wayne's, also refuses to make a statement. But many wonder if a man who spends his nights beating mental patients could have had the time or stability needed to properly raise children. The idea that Mr. Wayne may have even involved his children in his nighttime activities is chilling. Investigations that Mr. Wayne was connected to Jason Todd’s premature death were inconclusive.
Mr. Wayne’s butler and legal guardian after the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennnyworth, has also declined to comment.
(Continued on page A2, under Batman)
FROM: Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises
TO: Clark Kent, Reporter, Daily Planet
SUBJECT: Special Report by Lois Lane-Kent
December 3, 2014, 8:53 PM
Clark,
I was very interested to read this evening’s Daily Planet special report about me. The idea that the Planet received an anonymous tip about me is quite intriguing, and know that being faced with all this public scrutiny will not keep me from investigating who revealed this information. I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I would like to kindly ask why your wife’s article was so scathing. If this is about some argument between the two of you, I would very much like to be kept out of it. I have a family to protect, and nothing will stop me from protecting it. I was not pleased to tell Damian that he had to stop going to school in light of recent events.
Figure something out to lessen the blow. I have enough enemies who will know how to come after me now. I don’t need the public against me too. I don’t care if you get Lois involved or not, but I expect the Planet to show something other than an attack on me in the near future.
Sincerely,
Bruce Wayne
FROM: Clark Kent, Reporter, Daily Planet
TO: Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises
SUBJECT: Re:Special Report by Lois Lane-Kent
December 3, 2014, 9:17 PM
Dear Bruce,
I cannot apologize enough for that article. Lois knows that I’m friends with both Batman and Bruce Wayne, and I think she’s angry at me for not telling her. She hasn’t spoken to me since the article went out to press, and I didn’t get to see it until then. I am so, so sorry, Bruce!
I’m going to try to write an examination on all of this. Can I see you for an interview in person? No one will think anything about a reporter coming to see you after something like this. I promise I won’t write anything accusing like Lois did. I’m going to talk to her about this, try and get her to see reason.
Please let me know about that interview as soon as possible.
Your friend,
Clark Kent
P.S. Again, I can’t tell you how sorry I am.
FROM: Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises
TO: Clark Kent, Reporter, Daily Planet
SUBJECT: Re:Special Report by Lois Lane-Kent
December 3, 2014, 9:19 PM
Fine. Go to Metropolis International tomorrow. My private jet will take you to Gotham at nine AM. Alfred will pick you up from the airport. You can take Jimmy with you if you need a photo.
I do not want to see Superman in my city.
~The Daily Planet~
December 5, 2014
Bruce Wayne Speaks: An Interview with the Bat
by Clark Kent
Two days ago, Gotham’s Batman was publicly revealed to be none other than Wayne Enterprises CEO Bruce Wayne. Mr. Wayne, who has been mostly keeping his silence since the revelation, has graciously provided an interview to the Daily Planet reporter and longtime friend Clark Kent. The interview is is reproduced below.
CK: So, Bruce, how are you feeling after the reveal on the third?
BW: About as well as you could expect. I’ve been avoiding questions from the media all day, I’ve had to pull my son from school, and the GCPD has been outside my door since the article ran. I’m not exactly having a good day.
I’m sorry to hear that. Perhaps you could tell us at the Planet what led you to don the cape an cowl in the first place?
I’ve always wanted to clean up the streets of Gotham. God knows the city needed me. Corruption has been a tradition in the police department for years, organized crime has power rivaling that of the city council, and the entire city was as swamped in crime as Metropolis’s notorious Suicide Slum. Someone needed to fix the city, and I realized at a young age that I was the only one capable of doing it.
Do you think there was one specific event that led to the creation of the Batman, or was it a process?
The Bat was born the night my parents died. I was eight years old when I watched a mugger gun them down in the street. I wasn’t a child anymore after that night. I knew that the city my father and mother spent so much of their lives trying to protect was festering in its own waste. I knew that it was well on its way to destroying itself, and I knew I had to do something to save it.
So you were fighting crime since you were in grade school?
No. I tried to take a more active role in the company [Wayne Enterprises] when I was young, as well as doing independent research and investigations outside of what the GCPD conducted. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I began to take a more active role.
One of the criticisms of your actions is that many of the people you fight are patients from Arkham Asylum. Can you tell me why so many of your adversaries are mental patients?
I don’t have any prejudice against the mentally ill. But Arkham’s violent ward is full of highly dangerous individuals who have made it a habit to escape and cause havoc in Gotham. I make it my job to capture these individuals and return them to Arkham, where they can resume their treatment.
But why be so brutal?
Most of these people do not hesitate to kill or maim innocent citizens either because they are in the way or because these criminals think it’s fun. I do everything I can to neutralize the threat they pose, and if I have to rough them up a bit, so be it.
So it’s just a matter of practicality?
Yes. But there are lines I won’t cross. I do not kill people.
Thank you for clearing that up for us, Bruce.
Of course.
Why is it that you have kept your identity secret all these years?
Safety. If I have to live a double life to keep my family out of the crosshairs, then I will live a double life. [He leans forward and smiles for the first time since the interview began.] Can you imagine how dangerous it would be for Superman’s family if his identity were public?
Yes, I can see how that would be…dangerous.
Now you understand me.
Yes, well, on the subject of your family, can you tell what kind of effect your being Batman has on them?
I promise you, I do everything I can to ensure that my family stays safe and away from those who would want to harm me. Even now, I am taking precautions. My youngest son, Damian, has been taken out of school for the time being, as I already mentioned. My oldest, Dick, has police monitoring his apartment to keep him safe. The same for Tim and his family. I’ve lost one son already, I will not let the same happen to any of the others. Nothing will harm them. Nothing.
That is some great dedication. Thank you for proving this interview Bruce, and letting the world see another side to the Batman. Gotham is a better place for your efforts.
[From the personal journal of Alfred Pennyworth]
December 5, 2014
Mr. Kent’s interview of Master Bruce ran today. Master Bruce looked more bitter than I’ve seen him for years while he and Mr. Kent were talking, and that is saying something. I must say, I was surprised that the interview itself was printed, rather than an article based on it. Perhaps Mr. Kent realized that he could not handle the situation as well as Master Bruce was able to and so let him do the work. Smart man.