be nice when wayne manor's rebuilt and you can swap not sleeping in a penthouse for not sleeping in a mansion. alfred places a cup of coffee in front of wayne, who is stitching up a cut on his arm.
when you stitch yourself up you make a bloody mess.
you ought to be pretty knowledgeable by now, then.
i'm sure mr.fox can oblige. did you get mauled by a tiger?
perhaps you could hire some of them and take weekends off.
i know. but things are improving. look at the new district attorney.  wayne indicates a monitor: a handsome man in a suit.
are you interested in his character.  or his social circle?
well, i trust you're not following me on my day off.
know your limits, master wayne.
well, you do, sir.
and what happens the day you find out?
that day, master wayne, even i won't want to. probably.
i found one. in arizona. very nice man says it will take him a week to get it running. and he takes cash. what about a flight crew?
oh, yes.
i believe your plane is here.
if you can tell me the russian for 'apply your own bloody suntan lotion.' wayne tosses a large, waterproof kit bag into the water and jumps in after it. begins swimming over to the sea-plane.
i think your fundraiser will be a great success, sir.
i assumed it was your usual reason for socialising beyond myself and the scum of gotham's underbelly: to try and impress miss dawes.
a little liquid courage, mr.dent? dent turns to see alfred with drinks on a silver tray.
yes, sir.
not yet, sir.
oh, you have no idea. alfred leaves dent standing there, puzzled. the crowd reacts as a loud roar drowns conversation.  dent looks out-
you crossed it first, sir. you've hammered them, squeezed them to the point of desperation. and now, in their desperation they've turned to a man they don't fully understand. wayne gets up from his monitors, raises the bat-cabinet.
respectfully, master wayne, perhaps this is a man you don't fully understand, either.
i was in burma. a long time ago. my friends and i were working for the local government. they were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders, bribing them with precious stones. but their caravans were being raided in a forest north of rangoon by a bandit. we were asked to take care of the problem, so we started looking for the stones. but after six months, we couldn't find anyone who had traded with him.
one day i found a child playing with a ruby as big as a tangerine. the bandit had been throwing the stones away.
because he thought it was good sport. because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money.  they can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. some men just want to watch the world burn. wayne stares at alfred. reaches for the bat-suit.
i'm not sure you made it loud enough, sir. as the wall samples still smoke, wayne steps up, carrying the sample from the crime scene. comparing its spread to the new samples, he selects two and carries them to an x-ray scanner. the machine gives the samples a 3-axis scan- hi-res 3-d images of the bullet fragment arrays come up on the screen.
got one. melvin white, aggravated assault, moved to arkham twice- 1502 randolph apartments, just off state-
even the logs?
endure, master wayne. take it. they'll hate you for it, but that's the point of batman.  he can be the outcast. he can make the choice no one else can face. the right choice. wayne shakes his head.
today, i don't want to. although i did bloody tell you. wayne sinks the bat-suit, alfred closes the incinerator. they head for the lift.
i suppose they'll lock me up as well. your accomplice.
i don't know. he went down to the press conference-
perhaps both bruce and mr.dent believe that batman stands for something more important than a terrorist's whims, miss dawes, even if everyone hates him for it.
how will i know?
goodbye, rachel.
i prepared a little breakfast. nothing. alfred sets down the tray. the envelope is propped against the silver teapot.
very well.
yes, master wayne? wayne turns, a desperate look in his eye.
you have inspired good. but you spat in the face of gotham's criminals- didn't you think there might be casualties? things were always going to have to get worse before they got better.
rachel believed in what you stood for. what we stand for. wayne looks up at alfred. alfred picks up the cowl.
gotham needs you.
which is why for now, they'll have to make do with you. alfred hands him the cowl. wayne looks at him.
it can wait. alfred puts the envelope in his pocket.
we burned the forest down.
you need to see this. on screen: engel, in his studio, addresses the camera.
looking for?
will you be taking the batpod, sir?
the lamborghini then. much more subtle.
nothing on them. no immediate family members admitted to a gotham hospital.
burns is clean.  zachary.