I said I'd finish it, didn't I? ;)

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epilogue

Bruce Wayne's address at the Wayne Enterprises Board of Directors meeting, September 15

Please... if simply showing up gives me the right to a standing ovation, I should do this more often. It sure is better than the welcome I got from the Gotham Times: Bruce Wayne cheats death again. I'm flattered that this is front page news, but it sounds kind of disappointed, if you ask me.

It's good to know that you don't share that sentiment. Today is the second anniversary of my last – my previous attendance at such a meeting, and when Mr Daggett told me I didn't belong here, I confess it was a sad thing to hear. I knew it was temporary, I knew we were dealing with a case of fraud, but I had no idea at the time that it would be two years before I saw all of you again.

The person directly responsible for my coming here is Mr Fox, whose CEO appointment you've been endorsing for the past ten years. Last year he literally made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He told me he'd let me fly the hypersonic prototype Wayne Enterprises has been working on, in close competition with my UK company Reaction Engines, I may add, to come to Wayne Board meetings. Reaction Engines have been successfully developing the pre-cooled jet technology for the European LAPCAT project, as distinct from the pulse detonation engine Wayne Enterprises has designed, and have excellent results testing the engines on the ground... but until they have a flying prototype, I'll be tempted to attend meetings here in Gotham, so long as my wife will allow it. I see you smiling but it's a serious matter, I assure you. This time we made a deal, she let me fly here but she's waiting for me to join her for a hang-gliding course in Rio de Janeiro after this meeting is over. I'm terrified already. I really am, Lucius.

Seriously though, it's good to be back. It's good to see familiar faces and to welcome the new members. I've been an absentee owner and, even worse, and absentee Chairman, but I am deeply grateful to Mr Fredericks who has been an exemplary Acting Chairman following his retirement from top management duties. Douglas, I owe you a huge debt.

To the unvoiced question of why I've played dead, I can only say that the news of my death was an honest mistake on the part of those who announced it. I didn't escape the Gotham insurgency unhurt, and while I lay in a coma, no one, including myself, had a way of knowing, or of making known, the fact that I'd survived. Besides, the city had other urgent priorities to deal with. I was happy to know it had been saved from destruction, and am grateful to the man who laid down his life to make it so.

In the following months that I spent slowly recovering in Europe, I thought about coming back, but I could see that between my shaky health at that point and your excellent leadership, there wasn't much I could contribute to the company besides financial resources that I was able to direct back to it anyway, after the Wall Street fraud was exposed.

Still, I've closely followed the fortunes of Wayne Enterprises while running my other business in Europe alongside its general manager, Mr Reimann, no, not the one Lucius poached, I'm talking about his uncle. And I'm happy to say that not only did I successfully defend it from a Wayne Enterprises takeover, enthusiastically proposed by top management and supported by Mr Fredericks, who I must compliment on his impeccable business judgement, but I've also been able to help Wayne Enterprises pick up new business from US, UK, and Italian clients; and I intend to continue doing so, so long as our top managers stop trying to take over my Swiss company.

To the other unvoiced question, of why more and more of our new business relates to civilian rather than defence technology that Wayne Enterprises became famous for in recent years, I must answer that my father's vision for the company wasn't to enable warfare but to save and improve lives, and I want us to be true to this vision. We still have defence contracts, but I know that Mr Fox takes great care in selecting and vetting clients and contracts under your guidance, and our long-term plan is to phase them out over time. This clearer focus also involves being more selective in developing and producing surveillance technologies that can increase the risk of invasions of privacy. This is a greater concern for our European company whose main business has been security equipment, but I plan to align our policies in this respect and put in place more stringent checks. It may lose us additional revenues, but recent events have shown that advanced technologies are often misused in the absence of public accountability. Our remaining priorities in the defence and dual-use sectors are to promote innovations that help keep soldiers and police officers safe, not help them kill.

Let's not forget that the project that made Wayne Enterprises a household name in Gotham was the elevated urban railway, my father's dream that Mr Fox brought to life when he created its pioneering design. Building on this legacy, we plan to focus increasingly on developing groundbreaking transportation technologies like commercial hypersonic travel, driverless cars, personal flying vehicles, developing more efficient engines, and making fuel from renewable and widely available resources, which is what our recently acquired subsidiaries aim to do on an industrial scale. I wish I could've bought those two directly, Lucius, but I had to bow to Wayne Enterprises' superior means. Besides, I now have a promising career in European law enforcement as a cybercrime consultant for my namesake. No, not Wayne, I'll tell you later, Douglas.

I have great faith in this company's future, and supreme confidence in this Board and in the management's ability. As you know, I take no share of the profits, they are reinvested and donated to charity, but I have a responsibility for the business that my family built. And I look forward to working with you again.

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fin

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Really endless endnotes

1.

Remember where it all started? I always liked Lugano, but these stories got me 100% hooked. When I was back there this past summer I made a point of going up yet another funicolare, this one far from Lugano itself but opposite the lake from Carona, with very good views of it; and here are the results.

If you look at the bridge, Carona is above its left-hand end, with Mt San Salvatore, the location of the restaurant, beyond it to the right, and Lugano behind that one, around the bay. The point where the bridge meets the hillside is the beginning of the Grancia tunnel that also figures prominently in Catching Up. Mt Bre where they went later at night is also in the picture on the far right, but it blends into the higher mountain immediately behind it.

[http] tinypic*com/r/34rd11c/8

A close-up of the Carona side is here: [http] tinypic*com/r/2a7hrv4/8

and an even closer close-up is here. If you see the clump of taller trees below the bright red building, that is the location of Bruce's villa, though the house actually sitting there is far from being a marvel of modern architecture.

[http} tinypic*com/r/1f8ivq/8

Finally, here is a wide-angle view of the same place. [http] tinypic*com/r/8vpv6e/8

2.

I came across a couple of nice photos of Anne Hathaway for an Elle photoshoot that seemed a good representation of Selina, especially if she really cut her hair short:

[http] i*dailymail*co*uk/i/pix/2014/09/30/1412101113416_wps_29_Anne_Hathaway_photographe*jpg

[http] i*dailymail*co*uk/i/pix/2014/09/30/1412101129321_wps_30_Anne_Hathaway_photographe*jpg

I was never a huge fan of hers but she made a great Selina, and after watching Interstellar, I must say that she has grown on me as an actress. If only it had been Christian Bale and not Matthew McConaughey playing Cooper; the thought of Bruce and Selina in space… but I digress.

3.

As Roundandround mentioned, the events of this entire plot take place in less than three weeks, or just under a month counting from the moment of theft. Here is the actual sequence.

Timeline

[t-5...t-7] CIA database stolen

t+0 Friday first CIA call

t+3 Monday Bruce and Selina talk to Theo and have dinner

t+4 Tuesday they fly to Gotham, walk around the city and see Lucius, Gordon and Blake

t+5 Wednesday Selina goes to Wayne Manor; they meet with the CIA, then leave for Rio

t+6 Thursday they arrive in Rio, see Armando, talk on top of Pedra Bonita at night

t+7 Friday they do the hang-glider flights, pick up cameras etc, and fly to Buenos Aires

t+8 early hours Saturday in Buenos Aires (mentioned in passing)

t+9 Sunday they arrive in Sydney

t+10 Monday Selina meets with Jamie

t+11 Tuesday mid-afternoon they fly to Bangkok, Theo joins them

t+12 Wednesday Theo and Selina walk around Bangkok, Wednesday evening Selina meets Mitchum

t+13 Thursday they fly to Singapore, Theo goes via Kuala Lumpur, Bruce meets Kitty, Selina has jealousy fit

t+14 Friday Theo gets arrested (very early morning) and Bruce bails him out (late morning); Bruce has date with Kitty; Bruce and Selina have night zoo date

t+15 Saturday morning – Selina meets with Mitchum at Suntec; "shitstorm" plan

t+15 Saturday night Bruce and Selina get into Mitchum's office; Jamie finds them at the Swissotel

t+16 Sunday Selina breaks into Mitchum's Raffles suite, they meet with Jamie, discover the Kitty/Newell link; Bruce proposes the final plan

t+17 Monday Bruce meets with Mitchum and Newell; final showdown

t+17 Monday afternoon/evening – conference call and drinks at the Swissotel

t+18/19 Tuesday/Wednesday ending

4.

This is not a platform for political declarations, but I cannot help thinking that the closest real-life, modern-day equivalent of Bruce Wayne is currently found not in New York but, ironically, in Switzerland; and in another Wayne throwback, was until recently in prison for crimes he had not committed: [http www] khodorkovsky*com/biography/post-release/ Made billions for the company he owned? Check. Had the money taken away when he was thrown into prison by an evil regime? Check. Got out to concentrate on charity work and civil rights? Check. If only real-life dictators were as easy to get rid of as Bane : /

5.

This is the final list of links that did not get mentioned elsewhere, that have some relevance to the plot.

a.

Bruce's mention of flying cars reflects reality, though the company that made it is Slovenian. The articles below have a good deal of overlap, but I stick them all here because some of the graphics and specs only show up in separate versions. By way of a general comment, apologies for the numerous links from the Daily Fail. It is a shitty paper but it has a very good technical editor who keeps an eye on things.

AeroMobil flying car: ready for take-off

[http www] telegraph*co*uk/motoring/motoringvideo/10488514/AeroMobil-flying-car-ready-for-take-off*html

Flying car approaches liftoff as most advanced prototype yet is unveiled

[http www] theguardian*com/technology/2014/oct/29/flying-car-liftoff-advanced-prototype-unveiled-aeromobil

The ultimate fly drive package: SkyCruiser merges an aeroplane, quadcopter and a car

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2812978/The-ultimate-fly-drive-package-SkyCruiser-merges-aeroplane-quadcopter-car*html

Flying cars get ready to take off: Scientists unveil prototype roadster with groundspeed of 124 mph and flight range of 430 miles

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2813559/Flying-cars-ready-Scientists-unveil-prototype-roadster-groundspeed-124mph-flight-range-430miles*html

Finally! The flying car that really could be coming to a road (and sky) near you

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2784298/Finally-The-flying-car-really-coming-road-sky-near-you*html

Never get stuck in a traffic jam again! Flying car switches between land and sky - and can reach a top speed of 124 mph and flight range of 430 miles

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2487058/Flying-car-AeroMobil-2-5-speed-124mph*html

And another development mentioned in Bruce's speech:

Large-scale trial of driverless cars to begin on public roads

[http www] telegraph*co*uk/motoring/news/10484839/Large-scale-trial-of-driverless-cars-to-begin-on-public-roads*html

…and a couple that weren't but might have been:

Could these tiny flying robots spell the end of housework? Mini 'bumble bee' cleaners :

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/femail/article-2470144/Electrolux-Design-Lab-competition-winnder-The-Mab-Mini-robot-cleaner*html

Developers selling 'dragonfly' robotic drone for about $100

[http] news*yahoo*com/blogs/sideshow/developers-selling-dragonfly-robotic-drone-around-100-230833631*html

…and something he may be doing in his spare time.

On a wingsuit and a prayer! World's top flying daredevils compete in China to prove they are the fastest on the planet

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/news/article-2457774/On-wingsuit-prayer-Worlds-flying-daredevils-compete-China-prove-fastest-planet*html

b.

On a more sinister note, below is a bunch of articles on hacking, spying, and the like. What can I say, I wish the stuff I put into the plot were farther away from reality…

Exclusive: UK's secret Mid-East internet surveillance base revealed in Edward Snowden leaks

[http www] independent*co*uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-uks-secret-mideast-internet-surveillance-base-is-revealed-in-edward-snowden-leaks-8781082*html

Britain's secret listening post based in the Middle East is revealed in Snowden leaks

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/news/article-2400702/British-surveillance-facility-based-Middle-East-revealed-Snowden-leaks*html

GCHQ views data without a warrant, government admits

[http www] theguardian*com/uk-news/2014/oct/29/gchq-nsa-data-surveillance?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

NSA director modeled top secret war room to look like the bridge of Star Trek's Enterprise

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/news/article-2421112/NSA-director-modeled-secret-war-room-look-like-bridge-Star-Treks-Enterprise*html

Private firms selling mass surveillance systems around world, documents show

[http www] theguardian*com/world/2013/nov/18/private-firms-mass-surveillance-technologies

An Eavesdropping Lamp That Livetweets Private Conversations

[http www] wired*com/2014/04/coversnitch-eavesdropping-lightbulb/

Laser spying: is it really practical?

[http www] theguardian*com/world/2013/aug/22/gchq-warned-laser-spying-guardian-offices

Computers Can Be Hacked Using High-Frequency Sound

[http www] scientificamerican*com/article/computers-can-be-hacked-using-high-frequency-sound/

New computer virus 'secretly leaks data' through air

[http www] telegraph*co*uk/technology/internet-security/10490846/New-computer-virus-secretly-leaks-data-through-air*html

Hackers could steal personal data from computers using SOUNDWAVES - and even the most secure PCs may be at risk

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2518217/Hackers-steal-personal-data-computers-using-SOUNDWAVES-secure-PCs-risk*html

How hackers took over my computer

[http www] telegraph*co*uk/technology/internet-security/11153381/How-hackers-took-over-my-computer*html

The bunny boiler app: Spy software lets you track a partner's movements, listen in on calls and even lock their phone

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2514892/mSpy-app-lets-people-spy-partners-calls-texts-track-them*html

Surge in 'number spoofing' fraud: Fraudsters trick bank customers into handing over cash with new phone trick

[http www] thisismoney*co*uk/money/saving/article-2811096/Surge-number-spoofing-fraud-New-phone-scammers-trick-bank-customers*html

…but there are some devices and software that are aimed at fighting all that.

Mozilla's Lightbeam Firefox tool shows who's tracking your online movements

[http www] theguardian*com/technology/2013/oct/28/mozilla-lightbeam-tracking-privacy-cookies

www*mozilla*org/en-US/lightbeam/

The 'spy' phone that's impossible to track: Mobile encrypts everything from calls to texts - but could it become the criminal's gadget of choice?

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2567463/The-spy-mobile-thats-impossible-track-Blackphone-encrypts-calls-texts-criminals-gadget-choice*html

Paranoid you're being spied on? Then get this ANTI-ROUTER: Tech stops drones and cameras connecting to your Wi-Fi network

[http www] dailymail*co*uk/sciencetech/article-2748136/Paranoid-spied-Then-ANTI-ROUTER-Tech-stops-drones-cameras-connecting-Wi-Fi-network*html

And for the very, very last bit, here is something that cropped up about three months after I'd finished Chinese Boxes but is an odd reminder of that plot.

[http] news*yahoo*com/blogs/sideshow/google-earth-chinese-desert-mystery-155557314*html

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