Gotham

Stepping On Toes

September 10th, Midnight. Detectives Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon have just been dispatched to Park Row, also known as Crime Alley. Apparently a homicide has occurred there yet again. Gordon gets a strange feeling of dejavu walking down the alley. It was only a week earlier that he had responded to the murder of a wealthy and respected couple. A Mr Thomas Wayne along with his wife Martha. Had been gun downed in cold blood. Gordon remembers it well. The blood, the bodies, and most of all the distraught son who sat there staring in shock. He remember his name was Bruce. He felt bad for the child and took the extra time and effort comforting over time has become a mentor to the young boy. Visiting him often. That was a hard night for him then. Although tonight the scene feels slightly different. Another double homicide. Same place, different victims and circumstances.

Two small time thugs wearing ski masks. From the looks of it a drug deal gone bad, but there was something else. Something not quite right. The men were frozen stiff. Not rigamortis but something else. Gordon examined the bodies. They were cold to the touch but had some time to thaw. He wondered. Were they maybe being held in some type of freezer then dumped here? Detective Bullock decides to take the lead, speaking to the coroner. "So what do we got here? A couple of creeps overdosing or something?" The coroner snorts at the ignorant remark of the officer and decides to shrug it off. "No officer Bullock. Actually it seems these two men were frozen to death." The coroner's words reaffirmed what Gordon had already suspected. Bullock continued. "Frozen? Its only September?" The coroner replied. "Yes, well detective, I doubt it had anything to do with the weather. Anyways do you need to examine the scene any further? Or can I go ahead and take them away?"

Bullock shrugged his shoulders and leered back towards Jim. "What do ya think rook? Should we stick around and investigate or can we get back to the station?" Gordon leans down to one of the thugs. He is gripping something in his hand, but as hard as he tries he is unable pry it away. Gordon looks up towads Harvey. "Harv, can you give me a hand here? I think he's got something here." Detective Bullock sighs loudly. "Ugh, Alright Gordon how about I lend you a foot instead." Just then and without warning Bullock stomps down repeatedly onto the corpses hand, crushing it till its grip releases. Gordon jumps back shouting. "Jesus Bullock! What the heck are you doing?!" Bullock laughs."Hey Relax. It's not like He can feel anything anymore anyways."

Jim shakes his head in disgust towards Harvey and leans down close to the body. He flips over the hand revealing a clear glass capsule containing bits of a crystallized blue gel. "What's that?" Bullock murmured while placing a cigaret to his lips and lighting it. "I'm not sure." Gordon replied. "Maybe some type of drug? I've never seen it before." Gordon pulls out an evidence bag from his pocket and carefully places the object inside. "We need to get this back to the G.C.P.D for testing. Harvey grunts angrily. "Ugh, More paper work? I swear Gordon, you've been nothing but a big thorn in my side ever since you got here." Jim stands placing the bag into his coat."Oh yeah? Well, Maybe If you actually did your job once in a while, I wouldn't be such a thorn in your side." Bullock turns walking away brushing Jim off. "Yeah, Yeah. Alright Gordon. You win. Anyways, lets split. I don't want to spend anymore time with these stiffs then I have to." Gordon follows behind."I'm with you on that."

The next night Jim is in the lab with Edward the forensic scientist."Okay Nygma whatcha got on that capsule for me?" A grin grows across Edwards face as he spins around in his chair crossing his fingers. "Wear me in any kind of weather. Shine the sun on me and I'm gone forever, Salt me and I disappear. Yuk! Just keep me out of beer. Women love me and so do men. Especially at that time of year. What am I?" Gordon found himself speechless by Nygma's cryptic, theatric response. Finally Nygma ended the awkward silence by saying. "Ice. It's Ice."

"Ice?" Gordon asks. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm not entirely sure. It's a bit of a riddle itself. It seems to be some form of a synthetic ice that is capable to last several hours without melting. I truly have never seen anything like it before."

"Synthetic ice, that doesn't melt? How were a couple of criminals able to get their hands on that?"

"That may be a question to ask GothCorp industries."

"Why is that?"

"Well, after all, their name is right here on the bottle."

"What?!"

Edward laughs. "Yeah, It's right here, in microscopic print GothCorp Ind." Gordon grabs the capsule from Edward and marches out of the office grabbing his coat in the process. "Bullock! Come on. We got a lead on that double homicide." Harvey is sitting at his desk munching through a foot long hoagie sandwich. "Awe, come on Jim. Gimme a break, It's lunch time for cry'n out loud." Gordon throws his hands up. "Okay, Harvey just stay here and eat. I'm gonna go out and try solve this murder, by myself and possibly get killed in the process, but at least you would've had your sandwich. That's fine." Officer bullock glares towards Gordon then throws down his sandwich. "Oh my..., fine, alright Jim I'll go with you. Just, quit being so melodramatic all the time, will ya? I mean it was just a bunch of lowlifes that got whacked anyways. Who cares?"

Gordon shouts back towards him. "It's our job to care Harv. We are the police." Harvey stands up and slowly walks up to Gordon putting on his jacket. "Yeah, we're police, that's true. but this is Gotham Jim and one important thing you need to realize about Gotham, is the police don't mean squat. It's the Criminals that run this city. Fish Mooney, Carmine Falcone , these are the ones calling the shots. Even here, in this precinct. There is no place they can't reach. So, if I was you. I would a little bit less like dudley do right. It might get you get killed Alot sooner than you think." Gordon stares down Harvey and asks. "What about us? What are we to do while the criminals run the city?" Bullock replies. "Me and you? We just clean up after their done. That's all we do." Jim shakes his head in disbelief. " So is that how it is? You think we shouldn't even bother doing anything at all cause these criminals think they are in control.

Well, I got news for you Bullock. The criminals may be calling the shots right now but someday that is all gonna change. Somebody out there is gonna be pushed too hard by these people and that person isn't going to take it. Someone is going to put an end to it. Somebody is going to push back, and when that happens, they will need us to do what we are supposed to do. So, I'm sorry Harv. I'm not going to just lay down and let the scum of the city do whatever they want and you shouldn't either. So what do you say Harvey? Are you with me? " Detective Bullock sighs and takes out his revolver. He checks the chambers. Then slowly holsters his weapon. He looks up at Jim. "Six shots. I think I'm gonna need more bullets with all the trouble your gonna get me into rook." For the first time since arriving at Gotham P.D. Detective Jim Gordon let out a smile. He places his hands on his partners shoulders and says "That will do fine. We got each others backs." They walk out of the station together, feeling for the first time, truly like partners. "Besides." Jim says before stepping out."We are only going to GothCorp Industries. I doubt there will be any need for bullets their."

Continued to chapter 2