Chapter 131 - [AT] Chess Moves...

[After Transition]

After the checkup being done there was pretty much nothing else to do and although Alfred tried to ask some more follow up questions I convinced him to hold off on them as I'd rather wait till the Batman arrived so I can just say it once and not have to repeat myself which he aquifer to since it's only Batman that would really only be capable of using any information I could give and while it would be alright to have Alfred gather the information I'm sure Batman would be more comfortable doing it himself so as to make sure he doesn't miss anything and I'm sure that even if Alfred does it for Batman he would still end up doing it again since he doesn't want to miss anything and I think Alfred knows that as well since he didn't really try too hard to get more answers and instead started to have some small chat with me since we have nothing to do but wait till Batman returns so that he can continue my very kind interrogation and we chat for quite a while about rather mundane such as my education and other stuff but the topic remains largely around me since he can't really talk about himself and although he could probably talk about Barbara since he knows I know her identity he refrains from doing so feeling that he would be overstepping his bounds if he were to do so, eventually we have chatted for a bit and we were about to continue when my stomach makes itself known by grumbling loudly which reminds both myself and Alfred that I had been stuck underneath a factory building for two weeks without anything to eat and so he promptly stands up and leads me to what looks like a sort of cafeteria area which is relatively small and looks largely unused and seats me their before telling me he will return with a meal and drink for me but before he goes I request for him to bring along a chess board as well for us to have a match since we don't know how much longer we will have to wait for Batman and so we can preoccupy ourselves with it.

Alfred soon returns with a meal and drink ready for me but I also notice that he has brought a chessboard along with him as well and without even needing to research it or anything I can tell that the chess board and chess pieces are very expensive just by looking at them since they are fully wooden and refined as well as intricately detailed and for a moment I ponder if Alfred is just so used to such high quality items and living arrangements that he doesn't even notice that the fact that everything he's giving me is telling me quite clearly that the Batman, who presumably owns this place since it's called the BatCave is a very rich man but then again he does regularly go out on the daily in a tank shaped like a car with bat motifs as well as expensive bat themed gadgets so I guess it's just a given that Batman is a very rich dude or he just has incredible funding behind him and so I will make sure that if asked I will state the latter since it's more believable as who would believe that a man who is rich and has everything he could possibly want in life would go out and risk his life fighting the deranged and dangerous inhabitants of Gotham City.

After I finish my meal which was equally as expensive and luxurious as everything else I've seen before now I began to play some chess with Alfred and he seemed happy to oblige and seemed to be enjoying our match which I too was enjoying since it's been quite a while since I've had a good game of chess since I used to play with Earl back in the Marvel universe and while he used to state that it was a training exercise to train my strategic mind and tactics which I believe I also believe that it was mainly used as an excuse to get me to stop working so hard on my research and my machine, which I don't mind since those times playing chess matches with Earl and slowly but surely catching up to his level of experience and playing on a level playing field are some of my best memories from the Marvel universe and while I don't want to go back there anything soon it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy my time there but unfortunately I was forced into a corner and escaping that universe and coming to the DC universe was my only option at that time and I miss Earl as he was a man that was near and dear to my heart but I suppose that's just another reason I've started to like Alfred since he is also a butler and is in many ways similar to Earl given their years in service before becoming butlers and it's why me and Alfred are getting along so nicely while waiting for Batman to come back but so far our games have been equal and we have both won the same amount of times with each time being a very close call.

Eventually we are on our umpteenth game with Alfred having one more match than me and I'm very close to getting a checkmate and wining so as to make our scores even again but unfortunately just as I'm about to put my final strategy into action an alarm ring out through the room we are in and I can tell that it's also running through the rest of the BatCave as well though it isn't a panic or 'alarm' alarm but more like a reminder or notice alarm that is informing you of something that you were waiting for and it seems like Alfred must have set it up since he seemed to have been expecting it and he smiled at the alarm sounding, he promptly gets up and the before I can do anything he swipes the pieces of the board and into their compartments before closing that chess board to which I sputter as I was just about to cry Kate him and win making our scores even but before I could do so he completely ruined the game and packed it away to which I find myself befuddled which I seem to show on my face as well since Alfred notices it and gives me a polite smile in return. "I'm sorry Mr James but it seems Master Batman has returned and so we must call our game short of which there was no winner, which I believe results in me being the overall winner. I'm afraid we mustn't dilly dally and we should be off to meet up with Master Batman, you were a worthy opponent Mr James and I would not be adverse to playing more games with you in the future but for now we must be off." The entire time he was speaking he kept the same polite smile on his face but for just a second ali could've sworn it turned it so a smirk though I lose sight of it after a second and all I saw was his polite smile but I noticed the slight bit of smugness in his smile because he was the overall winner of our games and it's because of that that I knew that he must've used Batman's arrival as an excuse to stop the game and keep himself as the winner, geez what a shameless old man that hides behind the facade of an elegant butler but then again I can't help but like the man, he reminds me of Earl a little.

"Don't think I don't know what you just did Mr Bat-Butler, it wasn't very nice. Using Batman's arrival as an excuse to end the game before I checkmated you, I'm sure we could've finished the game before we had to go meet up with him." I tell him trying to catch him out and make him admit that I would've won which would've made our scores equal and since he tried to cheat would give me the moral high ground which would be an equivalent to winning the entire thing and so I would come away with a victory (even if we end up drawing, I would have the moral high ground which would make me the winner overall) which is what I want because I can be a very competitive person when it comes to these kinds of thing, to my accusation (j'accuse) Alfred seems nonplussed and keeps his polite smile on his face but I can no longer see the glimmer of smugness or anything else apart from politeness. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you are on about sir, none whatsoever. Either way it wouldn't be good to keep the Master waiting so we should be off, follow me and don't stray." Saying so he competing disregards my accusation (j'accuse) and walks off to meet up with Batman and with no other option left I reluctantly get up out of my seat and move to follow him leaving the chess board back behind me on the table, I was so close to history as well.

I follow along behind Alfred in silence still grumbling over my loss which should've at least have been a draw and so I stay silent and just follow along behind him to show my disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e at his cheating but he seems to be ignoring me and focusing on just traversing to the Batman, either that or he just hasn't notice that I'm a bit miffed with him which I doubt since this guy is very good at reading atmospheres and people so I bet he is just amused with my behaviour and is chuckling behind his polite mask which I'm getting more miffed at since he cheated to win against me but soon enough that doesn't matter anymore since we have finally navigated our way along the pathways which I again notice is the long way so as to keep our path away from anything important but this time I notice the fact that we have taken another path and I finally realise why when we finally alight on a platform that holds the magnificent BatComputer on it which is comprised of many screens and each one is searching through various things so much so and at such a speed that I can't keep up and have trouble following it but I don't pay it anymore mind when I finally look at the large back chair in front of the BatComputer.

I can't really see if anyone is sat in to since the chair is bug and tall meaning I wouldn't be able to see someone sat in it from here but when I look above the chair I notice two pointy black things jutting out from in front of the chair and it doesn't take me long to realise that those two pointy thing are bat horns, my assumptions is proving correct when the chair suddenly swings around a full 180 and facing me with a stoic expression on his face and narrowed eyes is Batman and I can't tell exactly what he's thinking but I'm pretty sure that it's a good bet that it is something I'm not capable of knowing since he is always twelve steps ahead...

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