Guiding Light

Guiding light

I'm really enjoying writing with this "Telltale choices" style =D

Also need to say english isn't my native language so if you find any mistakes or have any suggestions let me know.

Chapter 2

When Bruce woke up he found himself lying on the divan-bed in the batcave. It felt like his whole body went through the meat grinder because every move hurt like hell. Especially the upper back.

He gave an effort to remember what had happened before.

Chemical Ace… Agency… John losing control… their fight…

“Master Bruce?”, somebody interrupted his stream of thoughts, “Please remain lying”. His sight found another man standing nearby his bed.

“Alfred?”

“You lost too much blood. It’ll take more time for you to recover”

“How… how long was I unconscious?”

“Nearly 10 hours since I brought you here”

“What?! How did that happen?”

“Well, I suppose I’m the one who should be asking this question”

He approached Bruce’s bed.

“I was very worried when I received the call from your friend John. He couldn’t explain me the situation but only begged to come to you as quick as possible”

Bruce could read a sorrow in Alfred’s eyes.

“His voice so… Hearing the ton of his voice I realized something horrible had happened. And I wasn’t wrong”

“Where is John now?”

“I don’t know. When I found you he wasn’t around. And seeing you in the condition you were… I had no time to waste”

He went to the other side of Bruce’s bed.

“These wounds were awful, Bruce. It took me a lot of time to stitch them up”. He turned his head to Bruce again. “What happened?”

[Lie] I was stabbed by an accident.

The situation went out of control.

John tried to kill me.

“The things… went out of control. Waller blamed John in Riddler’s death. He wanted to bring her to “justice”, what on his language meant to murder her. Than Tiffany showed up… I tried to calm him down, reason with him, but it was too late for negotiations. He lost himself. So I needed to distract him and prevent more deaths. But… I couldn’t force myself to hurt him more. All I wanted was to bring him into consciousness again. And that’s how I ended up… like this”. He touched one of his shoulders. It felt like those wounds were burning right now.  

Alfred shook his head.

“Gosh, Bruce! You could have got killed yourself only by hoping John would listen to you. What were you even thinking?”

“I couldn’t have done anything else, Al! You know he isn’t just some criminal for me…”

Here they were again. In the conversation about Batman’s duties and Bruce’s feelings to John. Alfred sighed.

“I know… You care about him even the way too much. But you serve the greatest good and sometimes you just have no other choice, Bruce”

“He did listen to me, Al”

“Yes, but what cost on this time”

Bruce faded.

“I… will just leave you for now. You need to rest”

“Thanks, Al”

Alfred went to the elevator.

Inform me if something happens.

I’ll be more careful.

I owe you on this one.

“I promise I’ll be more careful next time”

He stopped.

“For your sake I hope so too”

Bruce couldn’t bring himself not to think about John. But because of the condition he was in he also couldn’t do anything right now. Besides he didn’t want to make Alfred worried even more.

All he needed is to rest. A little bit more…

 “Master Bruce!”

He woke up immediately.

It felt like he slept only about 2 more hours. But seeing Alfred’s concerned face right now and his desire to sleep had been vanished at once.

“What’s wrong?”

“I know that even despite the whole exhaustion you would like to see this”, with that Alfred turned on the Bat-computer to the news channel and Bruce could only gasp.

“…and that’s how the story about this “Joker” guy ended. All the doctors talking only how surprised they were seeing the ex-patient to come back to Arkham and ask to lock him up again. And now we can only wonder what made him take such decision...”

Bruce was shocked by the news he received.

John? In Arkham? Again?

But he didn’t want to come back. In Chemical Ace he made it clear.

And now…

For Batman it was obligatory to bring Joker back to Arkham but Bruce didn’t want everything to end up like this.

At least he needed to know what made up John’s mind.

“What are you going to do now, Bruce”, Alfred’s voice led him out of his reasoning.

I need to see him.

I don’t know.

Let’s just leave all the things how they are for now.

“I need to meet with him, Al. I want to know why he decided to come back”

“Of course you do”, Alfred said it with a little sad smile, “I have already prepared your suit”.

It meant a lot for Bruce.

“Alfred… thank you”, he took a sitting position. Still he could feel all the wounds with his moves but at least they didn’t burn like earlier.

“Just please… be careful”

Bruce nodded.

Before heading back to the Arkham he determined to do one last thing.