A little more, and I'm sure my eyes will sparkle like panda Po's. So, pull yourself together, rag.
"Alfred, leave us alone," he said to his butler.
"It's unnecessary," I waved my hand, indicating that I didn't mind his company at all.- One way or another, he'll find out what our conversation was about. After all, you have no secrets from each other. Otherwise, he'll have to watch the footage from the video cameras that are filming us now.
Bruce was silent for a moment, sitting down on the other side of the table. He didn't tell Alfred to leave anymore.
"Who are you?"- he asked his first question.
- My name is Alec Reith, 21 years old, homeless.
- Did you say that you have interesting information for me? And that she would also be interesting to my nocturnal Alter ego. What did you mean by that?
"Isn't it obvious?" I was talking about the person in the mask and cape. I know you're Batman.
"What makes you think that?"- leaning on the back of the chair, my interlocutor asked calmly.
"Let's not beat around the bush, we both know that's the case. Can we talk about business instead?
"What do you want?"
"To tell you the truth, I came here to borrow money from you," I looked through the eyes of a Shrek cat.
- So you're asking for money in exchange for silence? Are you trying to blackmail me by threatening to reveal Batman's identity?
"No, of course not. I told you, I want to ask for a loan. Then, when I become a wealthy rich man, I will return this money to you. Trust me, you won't have to wait too long. I understand that it is not wise for everyone to open their wallet. That's why I'm ready to tell you interesting information that I'm willing to bet you don't know. It's a good deal: I'll give you the information, and you'll give me the start-up capital. You have nothing to lose, as I will return the money to you later.
Bruce looked at me with a tenacious and meaningful gaze.
"How did you know I was Batman?" And how do you know Alfred?
- I'm afraid it will be quite difficult to answer this question. Bruce... do you mind if I switch to you?- having received an approving nod from him, I continued.- The thing is, I don't like to lie. I always tell the truth. I may not tell you something, or make a joke of it, but I always tell the truth.
I really always tell the truth. I remembered my past life, or rather some conversations, and in them I always spoke the truth exclusively.
- And to your question: how did I find out everything?… I won't answer. This will always remain my little secret. Well, let's just say that today I experienced enlightenment, and a flood of information flashed through my head.
"Is that your truth?"
- Simplified version. But don't worry, I'm aware of where this information came from. You have to understand that it wasn't sent into my brain by aliens or anyone else. You just have to accept the fact that I "know."
- And what is your goal? What do you want to achieve?
- First of all, I want you to know that I am your friend. And in the near future, I can become not just a friend for you, but a best friend, someone you can fully trust and whose support you can be completely sure of. Admit it, you've never had a better friend in your entire life.
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen," he said in a voice that brooked no argument.
- Not all at once, Bruce... next, I plan to become very rich. I will create my own company, and I will live in luxury. I hope to become a business partner of Wayne Enterprises in the future.
"You have big ambitions, but you're overconfident.
- No, I'm not overconfident, I'm just confident in myself. I can do it. There is little difference between self-confidence and overconfidence. "I can do it" is self-confidence. "Only I can do this" is self-confidence," I finished my monologue, sincerely believing in my words.
- Okay, let's say you make a fortune. What's next? You're not going to be another Lex Luthor, are you? I think you know who I mean.
- Yes, I know about this man. No, Bruce, I'm not going to fight Superman or any other heroes. I'm a good person. As soon as I get rich, I plan to find or create a super soldier serum. And then, I will look for ways to make myself even stronger.
My last sentence made the Dark Knight tense up.
"Why would you do that?" You know, everyone who sought power ended up badly. Some died, some turned into villains. What is your motivation?
- To protect myself and everyone I care about. I am a loving person, and my dream is to live in a luxurious mansion with my beloved women. And in this terrible world, where one flying Kryptonian is able to destroy our mother earth with his own hands, it does not add to my sense of security. I want people who love me to be safe for their lives. I'm not going to wait for help from you heroes, I'm going to protect them myself. But I'd be lying if I said that's the only reason.… I'm not going to get down on my knees in front of anyone in the future.
"You're not going to get down on your knees?" Is there pride in you?
"It's not about pride. It's more like my little whim. Don't worry, Bruce, I'm not going to kidnap someone and experiment on them. I'm a good guy, and I'm aware of my actions. Trust me, I'm not lying. And in the future, I'm not going to hide anything from you. I'll be glad to hear your point of view. You're more experienced in some things than I am, and I would need your help.
Wayne sighed heavily, deep in his mind.
- The information you wanted to tell me… What is it about?
- Yes, about that… This information is somewhat sensitive. You would have found out about it anyway, in the next few years. She can make you happy, or she can make you sad. But first, I have a question for you: how do you feel about Talia Al Ghul?
- Why this question?
"Um, you should have realized by now that I'm a Casanova." And Miss Talia is one of the most beautiful women.… That's why I'm asking you, how do you feel about her? If you love her, I won't set myself the goal of getting her to like me. Well, what about it?
- We had some sympathy, but that's far in the past. If you fall in love with each other… I won't mind.
My gut tells me that he's telling the truth. This means that I can in good conscience molest Ras Al Ghul's daughter.… Ahem, let's not go that far for now, otherwise something blew me away.
- Okay, that's settled. Now I have a question for you, Bruce.… Sometime in the past, when you were exposed to a certain drug, you were left alone with Talia. Was there such a thing?
- Where are you from... it doesn't matter, yes, such an action took place.
Hurray! So my intuition was right again. I was thinking about what exactly I should tell Batman. And then, my intuition told me…
- I don't think you know that Talia got pregnant then.… Anyway, you have a son, his name is Damien. Ras Al Ghul is currently raising him and preparing him as his future successor.
Bruce's face didn't change much, and neither did Alfred. But I knew that they weren't as calm inside as they were outside.