Even with the elevator, it still took Bruce and Alfred several more days to complete the finishing touches on the cave before it was functional. Bruce installed thin metal plates over every area where he was going to put something in order to keep the bats from perching above it.

Alfred brought in several wheeled cabinets, placing them where they could be used for the collection and storage of evidence before being handed over to the police. Additional cabinets were installed to hold the makeup and costumes Bruce needed for his disguises, such as the maintenance worker he'd impersonated to infiltrate the police station. Although the cabinets were mostly empty, Bruce fully intended to expand his collection of disguises as they became needed.

Bruce helped Alfred run all the necessary cables before they moved the computers to the cave and set them up to continue intercepting all information coming in and out of the GCPD. He knew he would eventually need to build a better computer to filter the information and eliminate all nonessential data, but for the time being, the basic setup was sufficient.

Shelves, with a cover and folding doors to keep the bats off, were installed to hold the equipment Bruce used for surveillance. The cameras and microphones were stacked and organized, and additional space was left over in case Bruce desired to expand his arsenal of tools.

The study in Wayne Manor was covered over by plaster on the outside, concealing the door behind a swiveling bookcase. Once the elevator room was completely hidden, Alfred called in the professional workers to install the natural gas power generator for the house. When the workers finished their task and departed, Bruce and Alfred ran the electrical lines from the generator to the cave, providing a steady supply of power for the lights and computers.

Metal support frames were brought down and assembled across the cavern floors. When gratings, similar to a more rigid chain link fence, were placed over the frames, a flooring system for the cave was established. The constructed floor countered the natural slope of the rock in some places and granted access to different areas previously cut off by fissures and sheer drops to the lower depths of the cavern.

Bruce and Alfred had discussed the cave at length, and they knew what they had built was only a starting point. As Bruce expanded his crime fighting operations, new additions to the cave would be required, but they had the minimum of what they needed to get started.

"You've done a tremendous job, Master Bruce," Alfred commended as he stood with Bruce in the cave, looking over their accomplishment.

"We both have," Bruce added, opening a cooler on the floor and pulling out two glass bottles of water. He opened them up and handed one to Alfred. "Nice work."

Alfred accepted the water and the praise from Bruce, inclining his glass bottle toward Bruce's and clinking them together in salute.

"Where to from here, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked after taking a swallow of the cold water.

"You already gave me the idea for using Wayne Enterprises to finance my work," Bruce replied, sipping from his own bottle. "I need to visit the company my family built, look things over, see what's going on, and find some way I can get involved."

"Your father, Thomas, inherited the company from his father," Alfred explained. "Thomas was a gifted surgeon, caring more for helping people than for running a massive corporation. He instituted a program for training young executives, picking the best one to run Wayne Enterprises while Thomas was at the hospital. The young man he selected was a very gifted fellow named Lucius Fox. Mr. Fox has been running things quite successfully for many years."

"I'm not looking to displace anyone who's doing a good job," Bruce assured him. "Besides, I plan to be fighting crime and won't have much available time to sit through board meetings and corporate lectures. If Fox likes running the company, he's welcome to continue doing so. I just need a way to tap the company resources without drawing suspicion; having a job there will do the trick."

"Of course, Master Bruce," Alfred agreed. "Might I suggest a different mode of transportation for your reintroduction to Gotham than the van we've been using?"

"What did you have in mind?" Bruce asked.

                                                                                        ***

Alfred turned the corner, and Bruce, sitting in the back seat, could see the massive skyscraper at the end of the road. The building was a shining black tower of glass and steel. Adorning the uppermost portion of the structure was a massive sign. Capable of being lit at night, the capital W held the smaller letters of ENT underneath for Wayne Enterprises. The corporate headquarters was almost the tallest building in Gotham, and the company was one of the most powerful and wealthy in the city as well.

"Are you sure you want to use the front door, Master Bruce?" Alfred questioned.

"You said it yourself, Alfred," Bruce reminded. "I need to be as noticeable as possible. Like a magician, I wave a brightly colored cloth so no one will notice the black glove I use to reach behind the curtain and perform the trick. You wanted a show, this is the best way. It's the reason I invited the press and chose to use the front door rather than the parking garage."

"The press conference isn't until noon," Alfred pointed out.

"I let the media know I'd be stopping by my family's company," Bruce explained. "They know the press conference won't be until later, but when did you know a reporter to wait patiently for a story rather than trying to get the scoop first?"

"I do see your point, Master Bruce," Alfred chuckled. "In fact, you should be able to see it too."

Bruce leaned forward against his seat belt and saw the bustling crowd filling the sidewalk in front of the building to overflowing. His audience awaited.

"Do you remember where my father's office was located?" Bruce asked.

"Of course, Sir," Alfred confirmed.

"As soon as you've parked the car, meet me there," Bruce instructed. "Also, I need you to remind me where it is."

                                                                                                ***

The sleek and shiny black car pulled up at the curb in front of Wayne Enterprises. Photographers were gathered on the sidewalk in a massive horde, cameras flashing wildly. Alfred turned off the engine, pocketing the keys while coming around to open the rear door of the car for Bruce.

To make the intended first impression, Alfred was attired in a formal chauffeur uniform of all black, complete with gloves and a cap. Bruce wore a three piece suit of navy blue with white pinstripes. Being only eighteen years old, he felt out of place wearing the proper businessman's attire, but if he wanted people to take him seriously at Wayne Enterprises, he needed to look the part.

Stepping out into the relentless strobing of the cameras, Bruce put on a pair of dark shades to keep from having to wince in response to the intensity of the flashes. The reporters pressed in close on all sides, surrounding him in a resemblance of a piranha feeding frenzy. Microphones were pushed toward him, and countless questions and requests for a statement were hurled toward him at a machine gun pace, filling the air with a confused noise impossible to sort through.

"I scheduled a press conference for noon," Bruce said over the noise of the crowds. He practically had to shout. "I will have a full statement and answer questions at that time. Excuse me."

Bruce gently pushed his way through the mass of people clamoring for his attention. His brief comment seemed to only have intensified the reporters' determination to get him to answer their questions now rather than later. Plastering a fake smile on his face, Bruce ignored the reporters and photographers, entering the building and letting Wayne Enterprises' security keep them at bay. Glancing back through the front window, Bruce saw Alfred pull away from the curb in Bruce's new car.

The very expensive luxury vehicle was over the top in Bruce's opinion as he only needed a car to get from one place to the other. Having a mode of transportation worth more than the yearly salaries of most people in Gotham seemed wrong to him, but Bruce hadn't picked the car because of personal taste. He'd chosen it based on his earlier discussion with Alfred. Coming back into the public light of Gotham was a big deal. From the age of eight to fifteen, Bruce had been neither seen nor heard, spending all his time within the secluded grounds of Wayne Manor. When he'd finally emerged, Bruce had left town, traveling with Zatanna and her magical family. He'd always remained backstage where no one could see him. After leaving them, he'd spent two more years in a remote Japanese dojo. For all intents and purposes, Bruce had dropped off the face of creation since his family's death ten years ago. Suddenly showing up was front page news.

If Bruce wanted to keep people from discovering his secret activities as a crime fighter, Alfred had suggested a very public face. People who knew a few things about important figures often thought they knew everything, so if Bruce presented an image that was well known, the general public would be less likely to think he was running around at night, fighting criminals in back alleys. Driving a flashy and expensive car was part of the carefully crafted persona Alfred and Bruce had come up with together.

It was a risky thing to stand in the public spotlight while trying to keep his other activities hidden. Alfred had warned him that the brighter the light, the harder it would be to keep his secrets. Bruce understood the potential hazards of becoming too well known, but the advantages were just as great. If he could convince others he was simply a rich kid working at his family's company while enjoying the money that came with it, reports about his other job would be instantly discounted as being laughably absurd.

Bruce smiled slightly as he strode across the black marble tiles toward the elevators. He pressed the up button, the white plastic illuminating under his touch. His public image and life would be his greatest disguise, hiding the crusader against injustice he would become. This was only the beginning.