In Gotham Park

Originally posted at In Gotham Park

He enjoyed days like this.

With the owner of Wayne Manor at work in Gotham City all day, he had the opportunity to get some shopping done for his boss. He took some of the staff from Wayne Manor with him, and went to downtown Gotham. Each of them understanding where they needed to go, the staff left him alone for a while, and he took the opportunity to sit in Gotham Park and enjoy a beautiful spring day, while reading the Gotham Globe.

As he sat on the bench reading, he noticed a young man looking at his newspaper.

Realizing he had been noticed, the young man began to walk away.

"Is there anything I can help you with, young man?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you," the young man replied.

"No bother at all."

"I just wanted to see what the headlines were."

He folded the newspaper back up, and held it out to the young man. "You are welcome to my copy. I was just finishing with it."

The young man took it, then looked at the bottom of the front page, where there was a story about the fire that had destroyed Gotham Towers a few years back. He eagerly began to read it, then paused, and looked at the man who gave it to him. "Thanks. Are you sure you are done with it?"

He wasn't really done with it, but smiled reassuringly just the same. "We have it delivered at home, so I have a copy there, young man. I can finish reading it when I get back. Besides, it's too nice of a day to not enjoy the scenery in the park. Go ahead."

The young man smiled, and mumbled "Found by another and read for good measure, One man's trash is another man's treasure."

The older gentleman froze.

A moment later, he caught himself, and smiled again. "What did you say, young man?"

"'Found by another and read for good measure, One man's trash is another man's treasure.'" The man smiled. "So many people don't appreciate the work that goes into a newspaper. But I used to work for the Gotham Globe."

"What do you do now?" he asked gently, aware that he might be on a delicate subject.

"I'm between jobs right now," the young man cheerfully sighed.

"Are you a writer?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"What did you do at the Globe?"

"I was an investigative reporter."

"'Curiouser and curiouser'," the older gentleman said quietly. "And may I ask why you no longer work there?"

"I wish I knew." The man looked at story about the Gotham Towers. "They have it all wrong, you know. They say a fire destroyed the Gotham Towers. No fire has ever before or since resulted in the complete collapse of a skyscraper, anywhere in the world."

"Did you work on that story?"

"Yes and no. I was investigating the events of that day, but I came to very different conclusions than what they printed here. Here they're still saying it was because of the fire that the three towers collapsed."

The older gentleman sat back some, a little more relaxed. He was beginning to suspect this man did not have all his faculties. "There were only two towers destroyed, young man."

"Actually not. Many people don't know that the Gotham Trade Center was a complex of several buildings. Buildings One and Two were the Gotham Towers that collapsed that day, but Building Seven also collapsed later that afternoon. They say it was a fire caused by arson, but my research on the design of the buildings, coupled with interviews with some of Gotham's firefighters suggests it was more than that." The young man looked up.

"This War on Crime is important, but there's a lot more to it than that. There's a financial story behind this that most people have completely missed."

The older gentleman was becoming more interested in the conversation again. "Yes, Gotham is only now really coming out of the economic difficulties caused by that crime. Everybody lost money that day." He thought about how hard-pressed the Wayne Foundation Charity Hospital was to treat all the people who worked in the rescue operations that day, and how hard-pressed the Wayne Foundation was to pay for the charity work due to the money it lost that day. He also thought about how sad he and Mr. Wayne felt -- and still feel -- for all the victims....

"Not everybody. Some people made money that day. A lot of money."

It occurred to the older gentleman that his boss might be interested in hearing this conversation.

"I say, young man. I understand Wayne Enterprises is hiring. I know someone who works there. They need someone with your kind of talent."

"I'd never get in the door. Everybody in Gotham wants to work there. They get hundreds, if not thousands of resumes every day."

The older gentleman had already taken something out of his pocket and was writing on it.

"Show this to the receptionist. I'm confident you'll get special consideration."

The young man took it and looked at it: it was a personal card. On the front, it said Alfred Pennyworth, and on the back it, in very neat handwriting, it said Curiouser and curiouser.

He looked at Alfred.

Anticipating his comments, Alfred smiled. "What do you have to lose?"

"I'll go right now. Thanks!"