Alfred searched the Batcave, all the while picking up assorted TV dinner trays and other garbage. The Batmobile had its tarp on and the engine was cold. It hadn't been used in at least a week. The computer was turned off. All the assorted gadgets and suits Batman used were put away.
Alfred checked in the guest room of Wayne Manor. The bed he had made 4 nights ago was just as he had left it. The gym bag full of clothes that his guest had brought with him a few months ago was sitting in the corner, untouched. No one had been there.
Finally, Alfred called Gotham Central. Using the alias they had planned for Barbara in case of incidents like this, he checked on her condition. He was relieved to find that the doctors believed that, with rigorous physical therapy, she may one day walk again. The doctors thought she was in a car accident; Alfred knew better. He asked if anyone had visited her. The nurse on call said no.
Tommy hadn't visited her. He hadn't visited anyone. As far as Alfred knew, no one had seen him in a week.
He was gone.
***
"So let's see here... Mr. Naylor," The HR rep at Starrware Industries began. "It says here that you have... 3 years at Ace Chemical, and before that 1 year for Gotham Public Transit and before THAT 2 years at Big Belly Burger. But you ended your job at Ace Chemical 5 months ago. What have you been doing in the meantime?"
"Uh... well," Tommy began. He had been expecting this question but still seemed unsure how to answer it. "After I was laid off- not fired- from my last job, I took some time to reevaluate my career and where I wanted to head. I took a few classes, did some soul-searching, and I think I kind of found who I am and who I'm not a little bit."
"Okay," The HR rep said. She seemed satisfied with Tommy's response. "And your classes were in...?"
"What classes?" Tommy replied.
The HR rep looked up. "The classes that you said you took, what were they in?"
Tommy cursed himself. "Oh! Uh... I took... martial arts and, umm..." Tommy thought about his experiences as Batman. "A class on intergender relations. Real hands on course, I learned a lot."
The HR rep looked at him skeptically. "I see. Mr. Naylor, what would you say makes you a valuable addition to the Starrware team?"
Tommy wiped his palms against his pants. He had fought many dangerous supervillains over the past few months but this interview still made him sweat. "Well I think I'm a hard worker, a self-starter, I'm not afraid to take initiative, I have uh... I have... huge tits..."
The HR rep jumped. "Excuse me???"
Tommy wasn't paying attention. He had been distracted by the extremely well-endowed woman that was walking by outside the glass-encased office. She was tall with short, blonde hair, pulled tight with a headband on her head. She was wearing a form-fitting green turtleneck and khaki pants. For some reason, the woman looked vaguely familiar to him; he wondered where he had seen her before.
She seemed to be trying not to call attention to them but even so, Tommy marveled at her magnificent tits. They seemed to sway heavily as she walked. Tommy adjusted himself in his seat.
As the woman walked by, she casually glanced into the interview room Tommy was sitting in. She smiled at him slightly. Tommy could have sworn her eyes flashed red as she glanced down; she seemed to smile wider.
"Mr. Naylor!" The HR rep shouted, startling Tommy and bringing him back to attention.
"I'm sorry, I think I just got distra-" Tommy began.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Naylor, but I don't believe we will be able to hire you at this time. We'll keep your resume on file," The HR rep said curtly.
"Oh. ...Are you sure, because I-"
"Have a good day, Mr. Naylor," The HR rep said, standing up to indicate that the interview was over. Tommy reluctantly shook her hand and left the room.
"Goddammit," he muttered under his breath once he was outside. The third job interview Tommy had been on that week ended in a bust just like the others. He wasn't cut out to be Batman and apparently wasn't cut out to be a construction worker, electrician or a fucking security guard at this place.
For the past week, Tommy had been looking for a real job and for the past week he had come up empty. He had left the Batcave the night Barbara was paralyzed and the night he killed the Joker. Quickly grabbing some supplies and a spare suit of Bruce's (not a Batsuit, a regular suit), he had taken off. He had gone back to breaking into abandoned warehouses to spend the night, carefully hanging his suit so as not to crease it. In Tommy's haste to leave the Batcave Tommy had forgotten his bag of clothes. All he had was 2 outfits.
Tommy slowly walked towards the elevator. Hanging his head, he pressed the button and waited. 'I have the worst fucking luck,' He thought.
At that moment, Tommy heard a noise. It was someone harshly saying, "Psst!" Tommy ignored it, figuring that it was for someone else. He doubted that anyone here really wanted anything to do with him.
"Psst!" Tommy heard again. This time he turned his head, searching for the source of the noise. He looked to his left and saw nothing. Turning to his right, Tommy could see...
'Huge tits,' He thought instinctively. The blonde woman from earlier was standing at the end of the hall, motioning with her hand to come closer. Tommy looked behind him, thinking she was talking to someone else. He looked back and saw her wave her hand faster, beckoning to him.
"Me?" Tommy mouthed to her. She smiled and nodded. Tommy heard the beep of the elevator behind him as he quickly made his way over to the woman. A girl like that told you to come to her and you didn't ask too many questions.
