Humiliation...

To say Damien felt humiliated was an understatement. The first step into Wayne enterprises he was met with little fanfare if any from the company staff, several didn’t bother with introductions with the reclusive Wayne as he made his way to the back hallways of the building to get to his new locker and changed into his new overalls uniform. Dull grey, full bodied and with an ID badge portraying his glowering picture completed the ensemble. Once full dressed, he started his shift when the overhead intercom requested him by name to head to a portion of the building.

Then the real humiliation began.

The first hour was spent cleaning a mess on the first floor, the daycare had seen an ‘accident’ with one of the staff’s children unable to keep their bowels in order after they had a breakfast consisting of what he deduced was something intentionally spicy. Afterwards he had gotten to work on the water boiler as was mentioned to him the previous week. The matter of getting it back to working order taking the better part of 3 hours and getting himself soiled in grease and soot before it finally churned to life again. Changing his uniform to a clean one, he spent the rest of his new shift mopping the floors and wiping the portraits on the walls, finding it increasingly infuriating that every effort was made to prune some of the overgrowth around the frames and gardens grew back almost instantly. As if to mock him.

Every portrait and landscape he came across had a picture of his grandparents, or how the city looked back when they were alive. Surround by this side of his family, the one opposite to the League of Shadows that trained him how to fight, these people were practically strangers. Stopping to make sure his polish of the glass cover over the portrait of his grandparents were finished, he took a step back to admire his work. Seeing the picture from just a meter away, it was of his grandfather and grandmother from his father’s side, holding hands together in front of a fireplace with a welcoming smile for the cameraman.

The pictures of his grandfather, his OTHER grandfather were so different. Poised, regal, exuding power with just his gaze alone, he was the leader of a world order that had plans to wash away the sins of man and renew the world in his image. It was beautiful, perfect, a grand scheme that was centuries in the making. It only took the death and betrayal of his mother to see that plan come crashing down. But these two? Their deaths were not so grandiose, and neither were their lives. A retired doctor and a social worker killed in an alley. What lessons would THEY impart? Even decades after their deaths, their presence was but a pale ghost in this sprawling city. Their son, his father created a grander empire then they ever had. Just why were they held in such high regard?

His musings became interrupted when he heard the click of high heels walk towards him, turning his head to look up at one of the CEOs approach him. Crossing her arms and nearly shoulder to shoulder with the young man, Jessie smiled warmly back at the picture.

“It’s a shame you never met them. They were nice people, so I was told.”

“What’s there to know? They both died in an alley, and the city moved on.”

Raising an eyebrow, the well-dressed woman took a step forward and turned to point her thumb over to Martha Wayne with her thumb. “Thirty years ago, my mother was on the streets, your grandmother was running a series of soup kitchens there at the time and bumped into her picking up supplies for one of them. At the time, my mom was a teenager kicked out of her own house when she was eighteen.”

“And?”

“She was dragged back to one of those soup kitchens by the hand and hired on the spot, both to get her out of the cold and keep her alive until she could find better prospects. A few years later she got her life together and had me. Thanks to her hard work, I was on the way to graduating university when the city started raining bats and dogs… She was my mom’s hero. Your dad was mine.”

Still keeping a stoic façade, Damien was unresponsive as he clutched at the cloth in his hand. Not thinking he was getting the message; Jessie crossed her arms.

“What I’m getting at Damien is sometimes the ones who leave the biggest impact are the ones who help people one person at a time. Which is why I’M here.”

“You’re here to ‘help’ me?” Scoffed Damien, still incredulous of the woman’s lesson.

“Of course… That’s what big sisters are for.” Smirked Jessie, licking her thumb. “And by the way…” Rubbing her thumb against the glass cover of the Wayne’s portrait, the woman giggled after she made a streak in the glass as she made her way back to her office. “You missed a spot.”

Breathing in sharply, Damien brought his cloth over to wipe the smear and gathered his things to head to the cafeteria, noticing the time came for his lunch break. Putting his equipment to the side and gathering the lunch he brought with him, he took a seat at a table where he opened a container with rice and lemon breaded chicken and placed it in the microwave oven provided for the staff. Standing and waiting for his meal to cook, his attention fell to the television at the top corner of the room showing breaking news.

“Good day, and welcome to channel 5 news here in Gotham. Today another murder has been discovered, bringing the number up to 5 victims now. The body was found floating in the waters off the pier front of the city, the identity of the victim has yet to be identified but the local authorities claim they will have information for the public soon. In other news…”

Hearing the ‘ding’ of the microwave oven finishing its rotation with Damien’s food, the man narrowed his eyes as he soaked up the information being read off the news station.

“Dammit…”