Thomas and Martha Wayne welcome newborn Bruce into the world. The Wayne family has always been known as the first family of Gotham City. The Waynes have historically given back to their beloved city and have done all they can to keep it safe.
Thomas and Martha bring up Bruce to be kind, humble, generous person as they all have been. Bruce grew up knowing they were wealthy but never flaunted it. He was a very well rounded and grounded kid.
Bruce’s two closest friends have been Tommy Elliot and Selina Kyle. At times the three were inseparable. Both boys were aggressive and drive by nature. The boys’ fathers were very powerful and smart. They worked hard and their generosity and how they cared for the less fortunate made them two of the most respected men in Gotham City. The boys were always smarter and more mature for their age.
Selina often dreams about being married to one of them and being a powerful trophy wife. Her family was not nearly as well off as the Elliots and Waynes so she often stole things from her friends’ residences so she could feel as rich and powerful as them.
There were times either boy liked Selina, times they both liked her, times she liked one or both, but never a time where she was “just” friends with the boys. But she always seemed to like the more edgy friend. She always teased them that whichever boy proposed to her first she would marry but it had to be a grand proposal with a huge, public scene. Since Tommy seemed to like Selina a lot more than Bruce he was always doing more outlandish things to get her attention and admiration. Some of things he did scared Bruce, Selina, and even kids’ parents. This led to Tommy beginning to see renowned psychologist Hugo Strange at the young age of 10.
Growing up there were two lessons Thomas always taught Bruce. One, you are defined by not what happens to you in life, but how you react to what life does to us. It's not about the action but the reaction. You might not be responsible for the action but you are always responsible for the reaction. The second lesson is that when you are forced to react to life it will bring you to a fork in the road. Take a mental snapshot at that moment and realize you will always look back at this moment, this defining moment and know which ever road you take will now define the rest of your life.
When Thomas is not around to remind Bruce of the lessons, their estate’s caregiver, Alfred is. Alfred and Thomas are the same age. It’s very rare that someone in Thomas’s position hires a friend or a peer in a subservient role. But the two have been best friends for over a decade and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thomas is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. This family company has developed over the generations. Whenever it branches out into a new field, it soon becomes the leader in that field. Right now Wayne Enterprises has two main divisions and many subdivisions within the respectable divisions. The first major division is medical. This is Thomas’ specialty. Within the medical umbrella there is Wayne Medical, Wayne Medical Research, and Wayne Cytogenetics, among others.
The second division is technology. Thomas’s right hand man, Lucius Fox is head over the technology division. Within that division is Wayne Security, Wayne Technology, Wayne Defense and Wayne Communications. Wayne Enterprises has made key partnerships with local businesses and areas of government so they can offer than knowledge and money.
The technical division has partnered up with GCPD to stay one step ahead of the criminal world. Companies and homes with Wayne Security have their surveillance uploaded to GCPD. So any break-ins are reported directly to GCPD and the video feed is instantly viewed at GCPD. Of course home and business owners can select which cameras can get linked to GCPD to save themselves privacy. All video is available to the home or business owner on their heavily secured personal networks.
Wayne Enterprises is the first private company to offer this law enforcement partnership. This made Wayne Enterprises one of the companies that made the 1980’s the golden age of technology. This further cemented Wayne Enterprises as a respected leader in this industry. Local criminal organizations have seen their business go down. Other security companies, defense contractors and communication corporations have strongly considered taking Wayne Enterprises’ lead and working more closely with GCPD and their local police.
Thomas made many friends within GCPD because of his close involvement. His closet friend was one of the beat cops who worked in the Wayne Enterprises neighborhood; an officer Jim Gordon. Jim’s partner, Officer Flass didn’t share his partner’s friendship with the Waynes. He didn’t want to “sell out” and schmooze with the rich people. Others that didn’t share Gordon’s fondness of the Waynes was Gordon’s boss Harvey Bullock and even the commissioner, Gillian Loeb.
The medical division has partnered with the Gotham University Medical School and helped make it one of the world’s leading medical schools. Wayne Medical has also partnered up with Gotham General and also made it among the world’s top hospitals in research and cytogenetics.
Bruce wanted to work for his father but follow more in Lucius Fox’s footsteps of technology and weaponry. Thomas then invested a lot in Tommy’s father Roger who was the Chief of Surgery at Gotham General and CEO of Elliot Medical Research. Roger’s expertise aided Wayne Enterprises in making Gotham General one of the leading hospitals.
Roger and Thomas planned on merging Elliot Medical Research with Wayne Medical Research and making Roger president over it. The long term plan was for Thomas, Roger and Lucius all retire at 50, give Bruce the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and president of Lucius’s divisions and make Tommy president of all the Wayne Medical divisions and Bruce’s right hand man. The boys couldn’t wait for that day.
Thomas has an appointment with wunderkind Dr. Victor Fries. Fries is a leader in cytogenetics which studies the development and structure of human cells. Fries has a passion for saving the environment and how a health environment will in turn make us healthy. Much of his research looks on the negative effects pollution has on our cells. He has developed a system that will “freeze" pollution before it exits buildings and cars. Any emissions would freeze in the system then exit the building or car in a cold mist.
Fries currently works for GothCorp. GothCorp is second in the field of cytogenetics. Wayne Enterprises is first. Fries believes he is the best in his field so he naturally wants to work for the best. But in the past Thomas Wayne has been reluctant to hire Dr. Fries due to his over zealousness to perfect the system without any strict safeguards to ensure the emission would always come out in a harmless mist form.
Wayne was concerned if Fries’s system was tweaked just a little, it could shoot out a more forceful solution and in a liquid nitrogen form instead of the harmless mist. This could damage property, injury people and even cause an Ice Age since the systems are all linked and can be controlled by Fries. Fries does see Wayne's point but contends once he has enough organizations adopting his system he can put everything on hold and then develop the necessary safeguards.
Unfortunately, most CEO's and government officials side with Wayne. In their meeting Fries has promises Wayne if he hires him and only increases his grants by 15%, he will be able to install his system in a few smaller branches of Wayne Enterprises to prove it works. Then it can be adopted by 100% of Wayne Enterprises and then Fries will work on the safeguards. Thomas just can’t take up Fries’s offer. He has a nasty gut feeling about someone being able to rig the system to do more harm than good. Plus, of course Fries's anti-pollution system is extremely expensive. Fries leaves the meeting upset but hopeful if he pours more time and effort in making a working prototype the data will swing Thomas.
A disappointed Victor is consoled by his wife of 5 years, Nora. Nora has always believed in Victor. Although she often cautions him not to let his overzealousness turn people off, she believes if he’s given the right opportunity he will excel and become the world’s leader in cytogenetics and anti-pollution. It’s his wife’s blind loyalty and support of Victor that keeps him going during the times he wants to give up.
One night, when Bruce was only 11 years old the Waynes participated in a charity event as they did many times. The charity event was at Wayne Hall located on the Gotham University campus. The event was for the University's efforts in bringing in the Dr. Victor Fries to work with their cytogenetics department to complete his anti-pollution system.
At the event Fries, with Nora holding his arm walks up to Thomas and offers a compromise. If Wayne hires him now, he will devote 40% of his funding to work on the safeguards. Thomas once again thanks Victor for his enthusiasm but feels once Fries can incorporate his system in GothCorp buildings with the safeguards, he will be first in line to adopt his system in a few of his companies and then his entire organization. Victor reminds Thomas that Wayne Enterprises is first in the industry and Wayne himself is head and shoulders a better boss than Boyle. The more passionate Victor gets, the more Nora taps him or tries to calm him and defuse the tension. Yet she still speaks on her husband’s behalf.
Victor is concerned that Boyle is getting too friendly with new mob boss Carmine Falcone. Falcone’s main business is a security company who is in direct competition of Wayne Securities. Victor fears if his system takes off and makes Boyle rich, it will also be a cash cow for Falcone. Thomas chuckles at Victor's concern and suggests Fries quits and works for Gotham University which is viewed as #5 in the world in the cytogenetics field. This sets off Victor more and he begins to create a scene. Thomas doesn't think this conversation should be had at the event and especially in front of his young son Bruce who often argued more and with more passion with Fries than Thomas has.
Thomas politely, but abruptly excuses his family due to Bruce's passion making more of a scene. The Wayne's discretely bow out of a side door so Bruce can calm down. As his parents try to calm Bruce down, a mugger approaches the Waynes. He holds them at gunpoint. Thomas and Martha instantly give the mugger their valuables. Fired up Bruce has no fear and shoves the mugger. The hot tempered and desperate mugger turns the gun to Bruce but both Martha and Thomas jump in front of the gun. Thomas pleads that they already gave him their valuables so they should be let go. Bruce says disagrees because the mugger needs to learn his lesson. Bruce bursts through his parents and starts kicking and punching the mugger. Bruce tells his dad that he is responsible for his reaction to this mugger’s actions so Bruce is choosing to take the road of justice.
The mugger kicks the boy off to the side which infuriates Thomas. The elder Wayne goes to swipe at the mugger's hand to knock the gun out but the mugger reacts a beat quicker than Thomas and shoots Thomas in the chest. Martha screams in horror and to shut her up the gunman shoots her, claiming his second victim. Bruce runs over to his parents who both are fighting just to breathe. Thomas grabs Bruce to pull him close.
Thomas's last words to Bruce were "Your reaction to these actions will define you. Which road will you take? Don't go down the road that will eventually make you as desperate and cowardice as this man. If you choose the right road someday you will inherit a legacy I have set up for you that will make you the greatest Wayne of them all. I love you, son." Martha manages to break a smile to show she agrees with her husband. Thomas and Martha hold each other's hands while also embracing their now sobbing son.
The criminal takes a second to look in shock at what he's done and turns to flee the scene. He realizes he can't leave Bruce alive as a witness but he must kill him too. He goes to shoot Bruce but hears a horrifying screech overhead. He looks up to see an angry bat making a beeline straight for him. The bat attacks the mugger now turned murderer and leaves the thug in a bloody and staggering condition. The mugger begins to try to run away but the pesky bat is still biting him. The criminal doesn’t get very far when Jim Gordon comes storming out of the Wayne Hall side door because he heard the gunshots.
Gordon was also at the charity event. Jim is horrified about what he sees but remains calm and calls in the murder. This is his first murder scene because crime was so low around his beat, Wayne Enterprises. His focus is a shocked Bruce; not his slain parents. Young Bruce can sense the compassion from Gordon but he can't hear anything he is telling him. His ears are still ringing for the two ill-fated gunshots and the even louder squealing that came from the bat. Even louder than the awful noises in his ears is the replaying of the ghastly scene in his head over and over and over again.
Through the fog he sees the flashing lights of the ambulance and the first GCPD squad car to arrive on the scene. It happens to be Bullock and Flass. Bruce never seemed to like to either man. In slow motion Bruce sees the man that took everything from him get strapped to a gurney and placed in an ambulance still shivering and weeping. Bruce can't help but get an eerie feeling as Bullock sits alongside of the gurney and appears to smirk at Bruce. Gordon senses Bruce's uneasiness and tells him not to worry about Bullock.
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