Bruce sat in Wayne Manor, carefully reviewing a thick file of Wayne Enterprises documents.
Besides his daily exercise routine and practice with rapier swordsmanship and dart throwing, he spent his remaining time studying various Wayne Enterprises files. The business empire had been left to him by his parents, and he needed to learn how to manage it.
Though reviewing documents was still challenging for him, Bruce meticulously examined every page. His careful scrutiny had already uncovered some concerning issues. Arkham Asylum, which was scheduled for reconstruction, had fallen into the hands of criminal gangs and become a bargaining chip in their power struggles.
The Arkham project had been overseen by a foundation bearing his mother's name. Originally established to improve Gotham, it had now become contested territory for gangs.
As Bruce continued reviewing the documents, Alfred entered the room.
"Master Bruce, detectives from the Gotham Police Department wish to see you."
"To see me?" Bruce looked up at Alfred with confusion. "Did they say what it was about?"
"I'm sorry, Master, they didn't specify."
Alfred shook his head slightly. He had asked Gordon, but received no explanation.
Gordon and Harvey were waiting in the downstairs living room. In truth, only Gordon wanted to meet Bruce. Although Harvey was present, his reluctance was obvious.
Given another chance, Harvey would never have accompanied Gordon to Wayne Manor. He'd rather have stayed outside counting ants than become involved in the affairs of Gotham's upper class.
"You're really going to get me killed this time!"
Harvey paced around the living room with his hands on his hips. The luxurious surroundings did nothing to ease his discomfort—if anything, they made him more nervous.
"It's fine, trust me, Harvey."
In contrast to Harvey's uneasiness, Gordon appeared completely calm. He sat on the sofa, quietly waiting for Bruce to arrive.
Soon, Bruce entered the reception room. When he saw Gordon, Bruce was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the visitor to be the detective he'd met only once before.
"Alfred told me you wanted to see me. Is there something I can help you with?"
He wasn't familiar with the two detectives. They had only met once in Crime Alley and hadn't crossed paths since.
"Well... we're here to inform you of something." Gordon paused briefly before continuing. "The murderer who killed your parents was beheaded in prison."
When Bruce heard mention of the murderer, hatred filled his eyes, but upon learning of the man's fate, his expression shifted from momentary astonishment to relief.
Gordon observed all these emotional changes. The ten-year-old before him clearly hadn't known about the murderer's fate.
But this couldn't serve as evidence of innocence. After all, no killer would be foolish enough to inform their employer of their exact whereabouts.
Gordon explained the situation at Blackgate Prison in detail, sharing all the information he had gathered.
They spoke at length. Although Bruce appeared relieved that his parents' killer had met justice, Gordon couldn't find any inconsistencies in the boy's reactions.
Squeak~
The living room door suddenly opened, and Marcus walked in from outside.
"Oh, I didn't expect we'd have guests."
Marcus was surprised by Gordon's visit. Why would this passionate detective be at Wayne Manor if not pursuing criminals?
Seeing Marcus enter the living room, Gordon recalled the murderer's miserable condition when he'd first encountered him. If the man hadn't been rushed to the hospital, he would have lost more than just his eyes.
"Sir, where were you just now?"
Gordon suspected Marcus was involved. He vividly remembered the severity of the murderer's injuries. Perhaps Bruce, dissatisfied with the court's sentence, had hired Marcus to infiltrate the prison and permanently eliminate the problem.
"Me? I just went to a bar for a while."
Marcus wasn't lying. He had indeed just returned to Wayne Manor from a bar.
After killing the Talon, he'd walked into a bar and ordered a glass of whiskey—a drink he'd never particularly enjoyed.
His primary goal in Gotham now seemed temporarily unattainable, so he'd turned to alcohol to alleviate his disappointment.
After hearing Marcus's answer, Gordon glanced at Harvey. If Marcus was telling the truth, Harvey's connections could verify it.
Soon after, Gordon asked Harvey to leave, much to Harvey's relief. He truly hadn't wanted to stay any longer.
After Gordon departed, Marcus turned to Bruce. The Court of Owls' real target might be Bruce himself.
"That detective is quite perceptive, but he's still being misled by those birds!"
Marcus's words confused both Bruce and Alfred. What did he mean about being misled by birds?
"Teacher, are you saying these birds deliberately guided the police to suspect me?"
Bruce didn't understand. He hadn't done anything. Why would these so-called birds target him?
"That's exactly right!" Marcus nodded and produced an owl mask and several sharp weapons from his jacket. "These belong to the killer, who has a name you may have heard before—a Talon!"
Talon?
Bruce and Alfred exchanged confused glances. They didn't seem familiar with this term.
"You must know about the horror nursery rhyme about the Court of Owls that circulates in Gotham, right?"
Alfred was the first to make the connection after Marcus's prompt.
The Court of Owls nursery rhyme did indeed mention talons, but this rhyme was supposed to be just a legend.
"Could the Court of Owls actually be real?"
Bruce stared at Marcus with wide eyes. He had heard the Court of Owls nursery rhyme and had even searched for evidence of their existence several times, but had never found any traces. Eventually, he'd concluded they were merely a legend.
But now, Marcus was telling them the Court of Owls existed, and the weapons in his hand belonged to their assassins.
"Have you been going out every night searching for the Court of Owls?" Alfred asked.
"Yes!" Marcus nodded. "I've been looking throughout Gotham for a long time, following owls across the city, and that's how I found this Talon."
Picking up a dagger from the weapons, Marcus chuckled as he rotated the blade.
"This is the weapon that killed the murderer. I saw it happen with my own eyes."
Looking at the dagger in Marcus's hand, Alfred fell into deep thought.
Though they all lived in Gotham, the legendary Court of Owls had never had any known connection to the Wayne family. Why would they suddenly send a Talon to behead the murderer and frame Bruce?
It seemed designed to mislead the Gotham police, making them suspect the Wayne family had hired an assassin.
"Where is the Talon now? Can we see what he looks like?" Bruce asked curiously.
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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