Gods Among Men The Diamond District

[Saarai]

A prestigious and affluent neighborhood located on the southeast side of Gotham City, it was once rivaled by the nearby East End until that neighborhood's collapse into poverty.

It is here that Wayne Enterprises, parent company of Wayne Tech, is headquartered.

Other notable locations are the Gotham Gazette, the multimedia rival of Metropolis's Daily Planet, and The Iceberg Lounge, a nightclub known as a front by the notorious Penguin.

 

[Saarai]

Smile and wave. That's all Bruce Wayne had to do as he left a high profile charity event, reporters and cameramen swarming him and the other elites. It was the first of many public appearances he was making to get people donating.

The initiative with Lex Luthor to rebuild Gotham and Metropolis was working well. Amusement Mile was back up and running, you could barely tell that less than a decade ago Metropolis was ground zero for an alien invasion.

Bruce didn't enjoy the cameras, he didn't like the attention that was drawn to him. It was, like working with Luthor, a necessary evil.

"Mr. Wayne, any comments on the rumors of the Joker having returned, or at the very least, his followers?" A reporter asked.

"They're just rumors. Gotham has always needed a boogeyman. It was Falcone, and then it Two-Face, and then the Joker." The billionaire playboy said, "The only clowns left in this city are the ones that will be at Amusement Mile this weekend."

"Bring your kids. Get a balloon animal or two. Some cotton candy. If you'll excuse me." Bruce said, pushing through the crowd to head to his waiting limousine.

His driver, a young African-American man, opened the back door for the billionaire.

"Thank you, Morgan." Bruce said, patting the young man on the shoulder before getting into the car. "You have a bright future if you keep opening doors like that." The billionaire joked.

"It's a skill few possess." Morgan retorted, shutting the door and making his way to the driver's side of the limousine.

"I hate these things, Morgan. Interacting with people I don't like to get them to donate money to a cause that doesn't get them a tax break." Bruce complained, "Times like this I wish I drank."

 

[Faithy]

Aries couldn’t believe how difficult it was to get a job at Wayne Enterprises, especially with his expertise in business dealings, things he did back while he was in high school. He was the sole provider of his sister and did whatever he had to do to make sure that she was well taken care of, but with her at Dance School, he knew he needed to step it up in order to ensure she was able to remain there and fulfill her dream. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, watching from a distance as the reports swarmed Bruce, feeling pity for the billionaire. Sliding on his motorcycle helmet, he zipped up the black leather jacket and started the bike up, pulling out onto the street, up beside the back window.

“Alright, just need to get him alone so I can talk to him. His stupid employees are dumber than a box of rocks.” Rolling his eyes as he leaned over, knocking on the window, not even sure if this will work. His dark clothing blended in with the bike and he easily leaned over against the car, though he was hoping it wouldn’t suddenly pull away.

 

[Saarai]

"On your four." Morgan told Bruce, reaching for the gun beneath his seat. "I know, Morgan. Be ready." The billionaire said, his window rolling down just enough that he could speak to the motorcyclist. "Can I help you?" Bruce asked politely, "I hope you're not paparazzi, I'm not really looking for photo opportunities." Bruce said, but he was looking for any signs of trouble.

Anything that indicated that the man on the motorcycle was there to do him harm. Bruce Wayne had made a lot of enemies and had a lot of money. Anyone could have wanted to kill him or ransom him off. He was always anticipating that.

 

[Faithy]

Flipping his visor up, Aries glanced into the slightly cracked window, making sure that it was Bruce that he was speaking with, not another peon. Recognizing the voice, he relaxed a little and tugged off the helmet, realizing that they weren’t going anywhere quite yet. Emerald eyes blinked slowly before he shook his head. “No, not paparazzi, hate those parasites.” His voice was soft, not wanting people to hear his business. “I actually wanted to speak with you about a business opportunity.” Aries ran his fingers through his black hair, shoving it back a little.

“Not here though.”

 

[Saarai]

"If you want to talk business you can send email to Lucius Fox." Bruce told Aries, slipping a business card out of the window.

"We can get you set up with an appointment. Right now, I have a reservation to make." The billionaire told the young man, "Good luck." He said, smiling as his tinted window rolled back up.

A few seconds later the limo began to pull off, "Where to?" Morgan asked, "The Iceberg Lounge. Kate has a lead for us." Bruce answered, glancing back to get a look at Aries.

 

[Faithy]

"Yeah... great." Aries couldn't stop the disappointment as he took the card, glaring at it before putting the helmet back on. Shoving it into one of his pockets, he snapped down the visor, watching as the limo started away from him. He mused for a minute before pulling out into the traffic, deciding to trail Bruce for a while before heading home to send yet another pointless e-mail. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he should have remained where he was at. "So many hoops to jump." He muttered, revving the engine as he darted in and out of traffic, still debating on what he wanted to do.

 

[Saarai]

Wayne Enterprises Headquarters...

Bruce sat in his office, eyes locked on his laptop's screen. "This is really good." He said to himself, reading over the contents of the flash drive given to him by a potential employee.

Aries. That's what he said his name was. He was a smart young man from what Bruce could see.

"Knock, knock." Morgan, Bruce's bodyguard, said as he stepped into the office. "I dropped Tim at school, Ms. Bertinelli decided not to join you today for your event." Morgan told the man.

Bruce sighed, "Figures. She's still not well. She and Charles were close." The billionaire said, "On the bright side, that kid, Aries, he's got something here." He continued, beckoning Morgan over.

"Could merge it with the project Van has going at Wayne Security. It's a surveillance system, but it seems to be very proactive." Bruce explained the Morgan, "Do you really want to go all Big Brother?" Morgan asked.

"Morgan, I dress up in a costume and invade people's privacy at night to fight crime. I think Gotham can use a system like this, it can't just be us out there. Not forever. We die. Heroes die."

The pair became quiet for a moment. They'd lost friends and allies to their fight against criminals.

"What if no one needs to die anymore?" Bruce asked to break the silence, "If we can connect the dots before crime happens, I say we go for it."