Tut The Magnificent

"Tut The Magnificent..." Part X

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 X...

Gotham State Parkway...

"So you've never been in Hamilton before, except for your story?" Bruce asked as Danielle drove her Kia, glancing at him from time to time.

"Only passing through..." she noted. "When I first to Gotham from Seattle I was warned to keep my distance. 'Bad things happen to pretty girls in Hamilton', was the advice, I believe. But what I saw when I came through to speak to the police chief and Counselor Winters a couple of weeks ago for my story looked nice. Very clean, especially compared to parts of Gotham, like around my place unfortunately."

"It's changed the past few...You'll wanna take the next exit, for that diner..."

"The best in Gotham State, eh? Better be sure..." she grinned. "I'm not only hungry, I come from a land of great diners."

"Moe's Silver Eagle'll pass muster, I'm sure."

"Sounds interesting, anyway..." she nodded, signaling for a turn.

"And this way you get the scenic route along the river into town..." he noted.

"You mean where the mobs used to dump the bodies?" she eyed him. "I"ve read the stories about the great stink of 67."

"I understand they've dredged them all out."

"Wish I'd been there..." she noted to his bemused look. "Well, they do say one was Jimmy Nostra, the missing labor guy...I'd've loved to have camera on that first view." Grin. "Sorry, a reporter's gotta be a ghoul sometimes, it's a tough business."

"Confidentially..." he looked about. "Nostra's actually buried in the new Gotham City Tower foundation..."

"I've heard that too. Gotta source?"

"Batman...Though he swears it wasn't him."

"Really? As in, seriously?"

"Seriously. The Tambinos...Nostra was getting to be too much of a liability."

"Wow." She gave him quick sidelong glance.

"Batman's account...That's all I can say." He put up hands.

"But did he know? Did he actually see it? Sorry, but this is too good." She eyed him. "Well?"

"He told Jim Gordon and me he saw it happen. He couldn't intervene, too far away."

"Wow. That is something... But how could he be sure, if...Sorry...Reporter's instincts..."

"It's ok. He'd followed them closer, trying to get the goods on their dealings. He didn't know Carlo Tambino had decided Jimmy's fate already."

"Yikes." She shook head... "Left or...?" She indicated the road they'd stopped at off the exit ramp.

"Right, I mean right...Not left."

"Righto, Moe..."

"A Stooges fan?"

"I have many sides to me..." grin.

"'Age cannot wither nor custom stale her infinite variety...'"

"Antony and Cleopatra, nice to hear the billionaire reads." Smile. "But far too flattering, for a first date." Mock-reproving tone.