Continued from here part 3
Paris, France 1995
A man named Henri Ducard was sitting on a roof top watching a boy walk into an alley. The kid had impressed him by being able to track him down so he wanted to see how good he was. His son Morgan waited for him in the alley.
Bruce had been looking for people to teach him certain skills, in his travels he'd learned of a world renowned manhunter, said to be the best detective in the world. Bruce had learned all he could about the man and after some digging he managed to learn he currently lived here.
He stepped into the alley hoping to cut his day's walk by a few minutes on his way to the home of Henri Ducard. He noticed a shadow coming from beside a dumpster. Henri watched as Bruce silently hopped on top the dumpster Morgan hid behind, "The boy never checks his shadows."
Morgan noticed Bruce as he was standing above him and pulled a gun. Bruce stomped on his shoulder making him drop the gun but Morgan grabbed his foot and pulled him over. Bruce hit the ground hard as Morgan went back for the gun. He almost had it but Bruce kicked it under the dumpster and got to his feet. Morgan then punched Bruce hard in the face but he recovered quickly and punched him in the ribs and grabbed him in a choke hold.
Morgan struggled for a moment then lost consciousness. As he let him drop he felt a gun barrel touch the base of his skull, "You're sloppy and loud."
Bruce shrugged, "Ducard, I assume."
"Give me a good reason not to pull the trigger."
"I want you to train me."
Ducard chuckled, "Why would I do that?"
"Because I can help you find Hassan. Up till now all you've found are henchmen and stooges, I managed to acquire a list of safe houses he uses regularly."
"How'd a kid come by this?"
" A hell of a trust fund, now you want to move the gun, or just shoot me cause I'm getting a cramp."
Ducard moved the gun as he chuckled again, "Got a name kid?"
"Bruce Wayne", he put out his hand and Ducard took it, "Henri Ducard, and the boy you knocked out is my son, Morgan."
Morgan pulled himself up, "Are we done?"
Henri and Bruce nodded and helped him to his feet.
***
A small cottage outside Dienville, France six months later.
Ducard sat outside in a chair with a glass of wine and a stop watch as he waited. As he took a sip Bruce put a hand on his shoulder, "Bout time, I dropped you boys off in Lyon three days ago."
Bruce walked around, "You've been running a stop watch for three days?"
"Its for show, I wanted to come off like one of those hardened mentors in the American films."
"You fit the part."
Bruce sat down in the chair next to him, tired from his run to the cottage. Ducard offered wine but Bruce shook his head as he opened a bottle of water.
***
A few hours later as Bruce and Ducard sat down to dinner Morgan wandered in and reached for a wine bottle. Henri snatched it away, "Wine is for winners."
He then put a can of soda down in front of a scowling Morgan, "You can have a man's drink when you become one."
Bruce stared intently at his plate as father and son glared at each other. Morgan looked to Bruce, "He couldn't have beat me by much."
Bruce shrugged, "Only eight hours, give or take."
Henri dropped into his chair, "Your tracking skills are still wanting but your good in a fight, I'll be needing you tomorrow."
Morgan turned, "For?"
"Hassan will be at his safe house here, I'll need you to help me get in."
***
Bruce, Morgan and Henri watched as cars pulled up to Hassan's house. Hassan's men looked nervous as a man stepped out of the lead car. Henri's eyes went wide, "We're going to have to wait."
Morgan was shocked, "Why, he's right there?"
Henri handed him the binoculars and pointed, "Do you know who that is?"
"That's Ra's Al Ghul, if he's here something you can't handle is about to go down."
Bruce gritted his teeth, "We can handle ourselves. You won't get this close again for quite some time."
Henri sighed, "Fine, but you follow my lead. I'm not dying because you can't keep up."
(To be continued.)
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