Tut The Magnificent

"Tut The Magnificent..." Part VII

Tut the Magnificent...

Summary: A little reimagining of supervillain King Tut. A young genius, protégé of Gotham's prime benefactor, Bruce Wayne, distraught at the suffering in a place his hero Batman never deigns to frequent, has decided to help his people help themselves.

Part VII...

Present day Gotham...Office of the Commissioner of Police...

"Well?" James Gordon, comfortably seated in his heavy black leather chair, hearty and hale, as befitting a civil administrator having a rather good year...Mayor, City Council, and general populace all reasonably satisfied with the drop in violent and non-violent crime. Though a few, as always, either dissatisfied with the extent of the city's recovery or annoyed by the costs involved...Some of these increasingly pointing a finger to the success of Gotham's little brother to the north, Hamilton, in drastically reducing, some would even claim, eliminating, the crime which had devastated it, at considerably lower cost, by most accounts, over the last decade. A few among them noting the said Hamilton had had no need of a mysterious, if of later years, semi-deputized, vigilante whose behavior and methods were at times, and increasingly, disturbing, especially to those who placed constitutional rights above all.

"Did we have a fine time last night?" Gordon grinned at the seated Bruce Wayne, Wayne a bit uncomfortable in suit required for his upcoming board meeting, mock-frowning...

"Now 'Dad'...You know a gent never tells..."

"Well, just tell me you didn't get picked by another psycho like Selina Kyle..." Gordon eyed him. "Barbara's very concerned."

"She has no need to be, Danielle's a nice girl. No supervillain second career..."

"Tell me you didn't ask her that..." Gordon, mock-horror.

"Certainly not. Alfred ran a Google search, like he always does."

Gordon chuckling...Then, nodding. "Well, just so long as she can put up with 'Bruce Wayne: the national figure'."

"She's actually better known than I am..." Bruce grinned. "Danielle Dane from Greater Gotham News..."

"Really?" Gordon leaned back. "Nice girl, indeed. And very sharp, she gave me quite an interviewing a few weeks ago."

"She's been researching a story comparing how Gotham and Hamilton are getting crime down. It should be pretty good, actually."

"Just so long as it praises me to the skies and suggests Batman's efforts are all well and good, but a bit too much for a civilized era..." Gordon smiled. "Barbara says my head won't go through the door these days but I'm rather enjoying not being covered in buckets of manure continuously. Thanks."

"Anything Wayne Enterprises can do to make life better in Gotham...Billionaires prefer a high-quality of life city, you know."

"Exactly what I suspected you were in this for..." Gordon nodded. "So...Given I didn't call you in just to discuss your love life..."

"I'm ready to discuss yours anytime..." smile.

"Non-existent. I live for my work." Gordon, pulling out a bottle of scotch. "And 100 year old Scotch." He poured a bit into a glass, pushing to Wayne's side of the desk and poured himself one.

"At nine-fifteen in the morning, it had better be..." Bruce noted, taking glass.

"Some billionaire who gave it to me for Christmas years ago told me it was...But he was probably foisting off cheap hooch." Gordon lifting his glass. "L'chaim..."

"L'chaim..." Bruce raised glass, taking sip.

"So things are good and Commissioner Gordon takes to sipping old scotch early in the am out of sheer boredom...Surely a scenario we've longed for all these weary years." Gordon leaned back, fingering glass. Bruce regarding him...