Summary: Set during “Beyond Batman.” There’s a change of power at Wayne Enterprises.
“Another Day at the Office”
Sometime between two A.M. Tuesday and four P.M. Wednesday, Dick’s tie found its way to the garbage can. He wanted to throw Bruce’s as well, but the other man refused, allowing it to remain loose around his neck. By eight-fifty A.M. on Thursday, the ties were forgotten, the suit jackets were open, and the CEO’s office looked like it had seen the same tornado that took Dorothy to Oz. Papers were scattered about the desk, the floor, the wet bar. Take-out containers littered the floor, and Dick had lost all skill in paper basketball. He crumpled up a memo to all W.E. employees, arced it, and watched as it danced off the edge of the trash can, joining its brethren on the floor.
“Oooh! And Grayson loses the game at the buzzer,” he whined, creaking back in the chair in front of Bruce’s desk.
Bruce sat in his own chair, shaking his head. “Your feet weren’t square.”
“Oh, who asked you?” Dick lifted his feet onto Bruce’s desk, right onto another stack of paper. Half of it tumbled to the floor. Of course, he only wore socks on his feet. “You ever wonder if Superman has nights like this?”
“He does,” Bruce confirmed. His feet joined Dick’s on the desk. “Except he has Lois.”
“So when they get stressed, they go and do it in the bathroom.”
Bruce lowered his coke can from his
mouth. “I am not going to discuss Superman and
“Intercourse!” Dick snorted into his drink.
Bruce would have swatted the younger man across the back of the head if Dick wasn’t across the desk. “How old are you again?”
“Twenty-nine.”
“Twenty-nine? I don’t even need to be a detective to know you’re not twenty-nine.”
Dick shook his head rebelliously. “Twenty-nine.” He took a swig of his soda and giggled. “Intercourse…”
“You were more mature when you were thirteen.” Bruce fought the low grin that wanted to crack his face. “Are you high on coke?”
“Coca-cola, maybe,” Dick giggled
again, like a teenager. He popped open another can and took a long swig. “How
else am I supposed to stay up for a hundred hours straight?”
The sun still climbed into the
sky, not close to its zenith yet, but still bright enough to warrant the
morning rush. The sun highlighted Bruce’s graying temples and Dick’s still
impish features.
The younger man leaned back in his seat until it creaked. “Where’d Lucius go?”
Bruce savored the sugar rolling over his tongue before swallowing hard. “He went home to take a shower, see Tanya. He’ll be back in time.”
Dick sighed. “Yeah, my penthouse is still too far, though I would’ve loved to have gotten five minutes in hot water.”
“Oh, you’ll have more than that coming up.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“Would you be willing to take a dollar salary for the year?”
Dick snorted and finished off another can of coke. It landed in the garbage can. “Sorry, I’m just the company spokesperson. I’m not one of your little cronies who has to take a pay cut.”
Bruce dropped his legs to the floor and kept Dick’s gaze. “I want you to take Paul’s position.”
Dick blinked once, twice, three times. “Wh—What? Bruce, Paul’s the best CFO in the business. I’m just—”
“Paul went behind my back and told you to announce that Wayne Enterprises would be downsizing. You came to me and worked with Lucius and me for the last four days to reorganize the company. You found the money hidden, redistributed funds to necessary areas, and saved every job. Paul didn’t want—” He stopped. “Paul couldn’t do that. I need someone I can trust with the finances of the company. I need someone I can trust with my family’s legacy.”
He paused again.
“Our family’s legacy.”
Dick averted his eyes from the raw glare. “I don’t even have a masters, Bruce. What you’re asking—”
“I have never asked something of you I didn’t believe you could achieve,” Bruce said.
It felt the world pressing down upon his shoulders. “Bruce, think about this. Really think. You’ll be putting your multi-billion dollar company in my hands.”
Bruce regarded his younger charge with a calm gaze. “Dick, these last four days, the company has been in your hands, and I’ve never known someone to know W.E. as well as you, including Lucius.”
Dick narrowed his eyes derisively. “I want three cases a coke, the complete Birds of Prey series, and the suit back.”
Bruce shook his head. “All but the last.”
“I only want the last.”
“No.”
“Bruce—”
“I need you here…at Wayne Enterprises.”
Dick smiled contently. “Fine, then I want back in the cave.”
“You do better in the light.”
“I was raised in the dark,” the younger man pressed. “Look, you said you trusted me with the family legacy. Well, Wayne Enterprises isn’t just our family’s legacy. That’s our family’s legacy, too, and I want to help.”
Bruce looked out into the city as the morning light glimmered off the sparkling buildings. Neither spoke for a long time.
“The cave. You can help with research and communications, but that is all,” Bruce commanded, his voice cold.
Dick nodded. It was a start. “Fine. I’ll take it.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Bruce finally arched an eyebrow. “Birds of Prey series?”
Dick shrugged. “I think it’ll be fun to watch hyped up on three cases of coke.”
More silence.
Dick snorted and finished off his last can of soda. “Intercourse…HA!”
The door creaked open.
“Mr. Wayne, Mr. Grayson,” the woman entered dressed in a short skirt and designer top. “It’s time.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” Bruce said, smiling gently at her.
As soon as she shut the door, Dick groaned and hoisted himself to his feet. As he rummaged through the garbage can, he took out Chinese take-out containers and pizza crusts. Bruce stood as well, using the mirror behind the wet bar to straighten his tie and run his hands through his hair. A second later, Dick came to his side, tying his own tie and working his hair into a respectable style.
When they finished, they looked like two of the richest men in the world.
They left the office. Forty floors down and two doors to the left, Bruce nodded to Lucius who stood outside the press room, security keeping the peace. Dick slowed to allow Bruce to enter first, and the older man stopped when he noticed.
He said nothing, but Dick understood his bewildered expression.
“You’re the CEO. Entering before Lucius and me shows hierarchy, demonstrates your power as an authority.”
Bruce motioned effortlessly. “Walk with me.”
Bruce always ignored the obvious. “You know what Paul said to me.” A statement, not a question. “You know he’s the not the only one who feels that way.”
Bruce motioned. “Walk with me.”
“I wasn’t born royalty, Bruce. Being the spokesperson was one thing, but being part of the executive team—”
Bruce grabbed Dick’s forearm. “Walk with me.”
The severity in the older man’s eyes, Batman’s tone in his voice, Bruce asked, not commanded.
Dick walked with him.
Lucius joined them just before the door, and the security guards opened it, so they didn’t miss a beat. Together, the CEO, COO, and new CFO treaded into the packed press room, camera lights trained upon them, picture flashes almost blinding them. Questions zoomed toward them, but they silenced when Bruce took his position at the podium. Dick stood to his right, Lucius to his left.
“Good morning,” Bruce greeted, all pretense of the jovial playboy gone, replaced by a hard businessman. “Before we begin, I’d like to announce the resignation of Paul Kingsley as CFO of Wayne Enterprises, effective Monday at nine A.M. I would also to announce the appointment of Richard Grayson, my son and heir, to the same position, effective as of last Monday, 9:01 A.M. Thank you.”
He took a
deep breath. “Though I only had my parents for a short period of time, they
taught me priorities. Since its conception, Wayne Enterprises has always worked
for the betterment of
“Around the world, Wayne Enterprises employs more than two million people, who speak more than thirty different languages and who have work hard support their families. During a time of economic crisis, people need reassurance. They need guidance. They need hope.
“After ninety hours of deliberation, I have come before you to announce Wayne Enterprises will not be downsizing. It will not cut the benefits of the very employees who helped to make Wayne Enterprises the Fortune 500 company it is today, and to clarify: Downsizing was never discussed. It was never raised as an option, and it will never be one as long as I am CEO. The company’s executives will take a yearly salary of one dollar as long as this crisis continues. We will restructure, making cuts in production where needed, but not one employee will be riffed or have his or her current income reduced.”
A wave of questions blasted Bruce, but he simply put up a hand. “Please. Direct all questions to my new CFO. Dick?”
Dick stepped forward and shook Bruce’s hand. After Bruce patted him on the shoulder, the younger took the podium. “I have a question for the CEO,” he said into the microphone. When Bruce met his eyes, Dick smiled. “Hey, if I’m going to take this massive pay cut, I’m going to need my room back at home.”
Bruce came forward. “You live at
the penthouse in
“And I’m getting paid a dollar this year, and I was planning on buying a snow cone tonight,” Dick laughed. “Good thing at least one of us knows that type of thing.”
The press laughed with him, lightening the mood. Bruce stepped back to be even with Lucius as Dick took a deep breath. “From the pan into the fire. First question! Ah, Mrs. Ryder…”
THE END