five :: the bank and the bat

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9:45 am
Wayne Mansion

Bruce rose at dawn, showered and dressed. He combed his hair and tied his tie. He walked into the kitchen and there Alfred stood at the stove in his butler's suit.

He was making French toast and bacon, the smell made Bruce's stomach rumble with hunger and apprehension.

"Good morning, Bruce." The butler said without turning around. He put a pot in the coffee machine and it began to brew.

"Is the girl awake?" He asked. The butler looked back at the stove and put the food on plates.

"Yes, she's showering." He stated he set the plates at the dining table and Bruce followed behind him, pouring coffee into the mugs.

"I'm going to a new place tonight. It's called the Warehouse. Seems interesting enough." The billionaire stated, taking a seat.

"I'm not so sure the Joker is in that business anymore, sir. He may have gone back to narcotics." He said honestly.

"There's always a chance, besides it's easier to track than a drug dealer." The butler nodded, he had a good point there. He dismissed himself when the girl came in.

She sat down and they began to eat.

"Now, can we begin?" Bruce asked, slightly impatient.

"Sure." She said, putting more bacon in her mouth.

"So, where do you work?"

"It's called Lucky Ladies: House of... Well you can guess." She chuckled lightly. "It's run by an old Chinese guy. The place is in this small suburb east of Gotham. It's run-down but good pay and he's fair."

"Have you ever heard of the Warehouse? It's a newer strip club. It seemed like it was tied to Lucky Ladies, somehow."

"Yeah. A lot of our girls left to work for them. That's all I know."

"Thank you." He said and stood, excusing himself. "You can leave anytime before noon." He left her to finish and pack.

She ate quickly, dressed herself up, and left without another word. Alfred cleaned the room and cleared the table.

Bruce went into the living room and turned on the news.

The news caster showed a live video of Gotham City Bank, in flames.

"The robbers, a gang possibly led by Harley Quinn herself, set fire to the building little over four hours ago. It's been evacuated and there is a large and growing body count of the dead. The rest that were found have been taken to hospitals in the area...."

"Alfred! Get the car ready!" He heard the butler leave to get the Bat Mobile prepared and Bruce changed quickly into his suit.

He met the grey-haired man outside and got in.

"There's a fire at the bank." He explained quickly. The butler nodded and Bruce sped off without another word.

He made it just in time to see the building collapse on itself. He cursed under his breath and slammed the steering wheel with his fist.

He was letting his search for the Joker affect how he carried out protecting the city itself. He had to be careful. Gotham has lost too many people already.

He got home around noon and Alfred didn't say anything about it. He saw the building collapse on television for himself.

Bruce disappeared to the Bat Cave to research different villains' whereabouts to see what they were up to and if it added up. There was no doubt in his mind that Harley Quinn, Joker's right hand, had done it...

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