《I am the Night》Chapter 2: Work out routine from Hell

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Wayne stared into the mirror in complete disbelief. It was his face. His face sitting on top of an Olympic athlete's body. There were so many bruises and scars, but it was him. The question in the back of his mind had finally been answered, if I work out like a demon for a couple of years straight would I look like one of those movie stars? The answer was staring back at him right there in the mirror. Alfred walked up to him and asked, "Master Bruce, shall I prepare the usual breakfast?"

Wayne knew that Bruce ate egg whites for breakfast along with a small bowl of mixed nuts and a side of fruit. He nodded, it wasn't Wayne Bruce's normal choice for breakfast but standing here staring at the results of a healthy diet and exercise he wasn't about to change things. Alfred set a place for him at a small table in the penthouse's study and then set out a journal and pen, "Your journal, sir and I have taken the liberty of preparing this morning's paper along with your itinerary for this afternoon. You also have that charity event tonight for Wayne Foundation. You haven't selected a young lady to accompany you, might I suggest inviting Ms. St. Cloud?"

Wayne thought about it for a moment and looked into Bruce's memories no women were standing out. It wasn't that Bruce had no attraction to any women, it was just that he didn't have a preference. He just saw the women as tools like his suit, car, or computer. He cleared his throat and said, "You know what, I'll go stag. That should give the social scene something to talk about."

Alfred looked annoyed but only said, "Very well, Master Bruce."

Wayne looked over the itinerary it matched his Bruce Wayne memories almost exactly aside from the evening charity ball. Everything else was part of a set routine for Bruce Wayne. He worked out for six hours, spent an hour researching on his computer between sets, and then prepared his tools for a night of crime-fighting. His meals came at set times as well, breakfast was always at noon. Afternoon snack at three, lunch at six, dinner at ten, eleven he was out fighting crime. He returned from fighting crime around sunrise. Sleep until noon and start the routine over again.

Wayne walked into Bruce's private gym and started doing his circuit. Wayne was not the kind of guy that would ever use a gym so he struggled to maintain the obsessive workout routine of the Batman. The first three hours ended with Wayne feeling a huge rush of endorphins. The soreness he expected from the workout never really came like he imagined it would. Instead, he just felt rather good.

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He sat down at the computer in the Batcave and drew a blank, what was he supposed to research? He had the Bruce Wayne memories, yes, but he was Wayne Bruce it was like having access to memories of a movie. The movie just wasn't important enough to recall certain things as needed. He would key in on certain things as Alfred spoke to him just like remembering quotes or key scenes from fiction he enjoyed. He also started to question what he should be doing in Bruce Wayne's life. This wasn't his crusade. He had no skin in this game. Wayne Bruce's parents were alive and well.

Wayne decided to read the last few entries of Bruce Wayne's journal. Shockingly, he was looking at his handwriting.

March 26, 2022

Saturday night, the city is quiet. I stopped a mugging on the A-line at the Arkham Street station. I stopped a rape near the old Steel Mill. The tip I had about a drug buy happening at Gotham Harbor turned out to be a GCPD sting, I stayed in the shadows there was no need to interfere. Still no new leads on the escaped patient from Arkham asylum. Did he leave the city? He had no ties here.

March 27, 2022

Sunday night, the city is buzzing. A brazen daylight robbery of the Gotham National Bank on Friday turned out to be an attack on the major crime families. Sunday afternoon the families met, an informant gave me a lead on the assailant from Friday's robbery. The description matches the missing Arkham patient. I'll make contact with my guy in the Penguin's force to verify.

Wayne took a deep breath, could the Arkham patient be the Joker? This was bad. He started to type into the keyboard searching for information about the missing Arkham patient. As he read on a feeling of dread went through his body. This was the Joker. The bank heist was the opening scene from the Dark Knight, wasn't it? Was the charity event tonight the same one from that movie? No, some things were different from the movie already. This version of Batman was more like a comic book than a movie for one, although from Bruce Wayne's memories it differed from the comics that Wayne had read.

Wayne looked at the clock it was time for his second set. He put his worries aside and returned to the gym for the second part of his Hellish workout. Wayne found that it was surprisingly easy to lose himself in the workout. Much like with meditation his mind returned to a calm state as he put his all into the workout. It was no wonder that Bruce Wayne had this routine. With the kinds of things that went through his mind, this workout routine must be vital to keeping him centered.

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After his workout, Wayne enjoyed a nice relaxing hot shower. For ten minutes nothing else in the world would matter. After his shower, Alfred was there to greet him holding a very expensive-looking tuxedo, "Master Bruce, will you be taking the Rolls this evening or shall I prepare one of your other cars?"

Wayne shook his head, "The Rolls will be fine, Alfred. I will call you if I decide to leave early." After changing into the tuxedo Alfred gave him a once over and adjusted the suit and attached his cufflinks. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Alfred smiled and then after taking a dramatic pause softly spoke, "I was just thinking it would be nice if this was your normal routine instead of the other suit."

Wayne shook his head and then asked, "If I traded that life for this one what would you honestly think, Alfred?"

Alfred took a deep breath, "I would wonder who you were and where Master Bruce had been taken."

Wayne slapped Alfred on the arm and laughed, "See, it's better for us both that we stay with our normal routine. Start the car, Alfred, I have an event to host!"

Not long after Alfred stepped out of the driver's seat of Bruce Wayne's Rolls Royce Phantom Limousine and walked back to the passenger side door and opened it allowing Wayne to exit the car. A herd of eager paparazzi swarmed around him trying to get a picture as questions were hurled out nonstop. Wayne had no desire to do more than smile and wave to no one in particular before heading up the red carpet through the entrance to the swanky hotel. Once inside the building, a crowd of well-dressed people approached keeping a respectful distance when a man Wayne recognized as being Lucius Fox approached and shook his hand, "Bruce, thanks for coming out. I was afraid after this weekend's nonsense we might not get to see you."

"Lucius, the thanks are mine. If not for you guarding my back I wouldn't be able to do what I want to do." Wayne looked at the crowd of people gathered together with Lucius.

Lucius smiled and nodded his head, "Bruce, I have someone I want to introduce you to... As you know Wayne Entertainment signed that deal with Netflix recently and we just signed a very promising young actress."

Lucius raised his arm and motioned toward a young lady in a black backless evening gown with firey blondish red hair. As she turned around it was if everything slowed down, the sound seemed to come to a halt and Wayne's mouth dropped open slightly. "Madison." Wayne managed to speak.

The young woman looked awestruck as Lucius smiled and nodded, "That's right, this is Julie Madison."

Julie extended a hand to Wayne who did his best gallant gentleman impression and placed a soft kiss on her knuckle, "Ms. Madison, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Bruce Wayne."

Lucius sighed and then said, "If you'll excuse me then, I'll be... Uh, hobnobbing."

Wayne's eyes never left Julie's since the moment she was introduced to him. Wayne realized that she was probably the one who was intimidated so he gave her a soft smile and asked, "First time at one of these events?"

Julie nodded and then slightly stammered, "Y-yes. Is it easy to see?"

Wayne smiled and gave her a slight shrug, "It's nothing to be nervous about. We are all just people after all. The only real difference between people in this room and people at a soup kitchen is that these people have a lot of money."

Julie smirked and then said, "Yeah, but to those without a lot of money everyone in this room can change their destiny with the simple swipe of a pen. A single text message from anyone here is enough to make or break my career."

Wayne thought a moment and then smiled and nodded, "That's very true."

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