Villains • Bruce Wayne

Chapter 1 - Both Idiots

   And as Gotham City's prince of crime put it: it only takes one bad day to make even the greatest hero a villain.

   

~~~

   The boat ride across the harbor was typically a short one - no more than 40 minutes - and one that I had taken many times over, but something about this one felt off from the start. I watched with a very careful eye as Walter bent over the railing of the small ferry boat, enjoying the violent water splash below him as we headed toward Metropolis.

   "Are you alright?" I said, taking my spot next to him. 

   He gave me a quick glance, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I'm not going to jump if that's what you mean."

   "It's not," I clarified. "It's just that you haven't said anything about moving over to Health Bridge."

   "I told the doctors no - that I rather take my chances on the streets," he admitted. "But then I found out it was free." With his elbows still against the railing, he turned his head to me and eyed the gold necklace around my neck, the bracelet on my wrist, and the wool on my coat. God, what was wrong with me? "You're paying for it, aren't you?"

   "I am," I said simply. 

   "Why?"

   "I think you deserve better than the streets of Gotham."

   He shook his head, seemingly a little annoyed. "So what? You choose some random charity case from time to time and bring them back to your fancy facility?"

   I scoffed, "Fuck, I wish. I'll take anyone they give me. I'll take everyone. My center is packed full of great doctors and therapists whose abilities are unfortunately being wasted on some teenagers who are just waiting for a clean piss sample so they can go back to partying it up with the rest of the one percent in Gotham. I want to help make Gotham a better place and I think that starts with people like you - good people who have had bad things happen to them."

   He stared at me for a moment - quiet and unblinking before looking back down at the water. again. "You think I'm a good man?" he asked. 

   "I do," I gave him a reassuring smile, even though he wasn't looking to see it. "Do you?"

   "To tell you the truth," he started, his eyes fixated on the crashing waves. "They treat you like a villain for long enough and eventually you start to believe-"

   A thunderous bang sounded from the boat, sending a high-pitched ringing through my ears as the boat furiously rocked against the water. I was nearly thrown into the water, but Walter held tightly onto my arm, bringing it to the cold railing so that I could stabilize myself. 

   "Are you alright!" He shouted over the screams of the other passengers who were rushing toward our end of the boat as water flooded their feet behind them. 

   Shit.

   Shit. Shit. Shit. 

   Were we sinking?!

   Had we hit something?

   The crowd of people rushing toward us nearly tackled me to the crowd, but I held on tightly to the metal railing that seemed to be the only thing preventing those along the edges from falling into the water. Walter, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. A group of nervous bodies pushed him onto the ground, stepping on him as they struggled to find footing. 

   "Stop!" I screamed and let go of the railing to push them off him. They stumbled and fell back against other people. As the boat rocked forward, its now evidently broken middle bending toward the surface of the water, I fell down onto the ground by Walter whose eyes were shot wide open in terror. "Walter, are you okay?" I asked him over the cries and screams of the passengers, hurriedly looking him over for any signs of injury. The smell of smoke hit my nostrils and I realized that a boat didn't just snap in half. I think we'd been bombed. Fucking bombed.