Chapter 2
Convoy
As they drove through a residential neighborhood, Selina occupied herself with a booklet she found in the glove compartment while Bruce looked at the houses through the tinted windows.
"What kind of neighborhood are we driving through, Ashley?" Bruce asked.
"Branch Avenue. Don't let the houses fool you, this one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city."
"It doesn't look very dangerous to me."
"If you were walking around out here in the middle of the night by yourself, you would be singing a whole different tune."
"In Gotham, the Narrows is dangerous no matter what time of day it is," Selina said.
"That is one area of Gotham I will never set foot in again without a dozen TAC teams or the Army at my back," Ashley commented.
"Was that the place where your parents dumped you when you were a kid?"
"Yeah. I understand that it's home to you, Selina. But to me, it represents a chapter of my life I would rather forget about."
"Maybe when I make Gotham a better place someday, you'll have a more positive view of the area."
"I know you have a grand vision for the city and I hope you succeed in making it a reality one day. But when you do embark on your quest, you may find yourself running into some very hard truths."
"Whatever they are, Ashley. I will be ready for them."
Selina couldn't help but snicker at that statement.
"Famous last words, B. Now before you stuff your foot even further into your mouth, have a look at this booklet."
Selina threw it back over her seat and it landed in Bruce's lap. He picked it up and proceeded to look through it.
"Wow, this city has more places to see and things to do than Gotham."
"Ever been here before?" Ashley asked.
"My parents went here when I was baby. Alfred was tasked with watching over me while they were gone."
"I guess your parents never hired a sitter when you were little," Selina commented.
"No, they had absolute trust in Alfred."
"Good choice on their part. If I had children of my own, I wouldn't trust a stranger to watch over them either. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that because I am never going to have any. I like my new life the way it is anyway."
"If I knew better, I'd say you hate all children except me and Bruce."
"You're first two kids I've met that mean more to me than an assignment, Selina. And I don't hate children, but I once had the unpleasant privilege of working with someone who did."
"Was it someone from your days at the Denver field office?"
"Yes, it was Agent Brasher. A depressed witch of a woman. Not a day went by where she didn't walk through the door without saying something negative about her kids. She hated her husband too."
"Why?"
"For getting her pregnant by accident. She even gloated about how he and her two sons never knew how she really felt about them."
"Why didn't she just have an abortion if she didn't want them?"
"She was a very twisted woman, Bruce. I still wonder how she manage to pass her psych evaluation."
"So what happened to her?" Selina asked.
"She got caught red-handed meeting with a serial killer who called herself the Pelican. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. She was wanted for multiple murders all across Denver. She was Denver PDs problem, until we got word that Brasher was meeting with her to discuss payment for a hit on you know who."
"Her husband and kids?"
"Bingo, Selina. So we formed a taskforce to bag them both, we moved on them at their next meeting at an outdoor restaurant where Brasher was going to make the payment. I was there with a TAC team from the Bureau and Denver SWAT. Brasher bolted when she heard our sirens, but the Pelican surrendered without incident. Luckily, I was able to spot her running down the street and so the chase of my life began."
"Wow."
"Wow indeed, Selina. After chasing her about four blocks, she ran into a parking garage where I pursued her all the way to the top. Seven levels to be exact.
Flashback
Parking garage
Denver Colorado
After running onto the roof, Agent Brasher ran towards the edge of the roof and hopped up on the ledge.
"It's over, Brasher, come down from the ledge, get on your knees, and raise your hands above your head."
Brasher turned around and saw her former coworker, Agent Ashley Hayes wither her Beretta 92FS trained on her.
"You followed me this far, Ashley. I must say I'm impressed. Then again, you are twenty-four and still in your prime so…"
"Spare the compliments, get on your knees and put your hands in the air."
"Yeah, maybe in the next life," Brasher replied then threw something at Ashely before back-flipping off the ledge. Ashley quickly ducked for cover behind a mini-van thinking it was a grenade.
After ten seconds passed with no boom, Ashley returned to her previous position and the object on the ground turned out to be a wallet. Ashley picked it up to examine its contents and Brasher's badge and ID within.
Two Chevy Tahoes pulled up behind her and two four man TAC teams emerged and approached her in haste.
"Ma'am, Denver PD has the Pelican in custody. Where is Brasher?" the leader of the second team asked.
"She chose to go over the edge rather than turn herself in."
The teams followed Ashley over to the ledge where they saw Brasher's body lying on the ground below. Two cops were already on site keeping a shocked crowd back.
"Agent Cooper is not going to like this. Let's get down there and help secure the body."
"Yes, ma'am," the Team Two leader replied.
On their way back to the vehicles, Ashley pulled out her cellphone to make the call. "Sir, Denver PD has the Pelican in custody, but Brasher chose to kill herself rather than give up. She threw her badge and ID at me before jumping over. I thought she was throwing a grenade at so I had to duck for cover."
"Understood, what did she jump off of?"
"From the top of a seven story parking garage. We're heading back down to secure the body."
"Very well, Agent Hayes, I will be on site within the hour."
"Copy that," Ashley replied as she got into the vehicle. End of flashback.
Convoy
Present day
"Wow, she was really was a twisted woman," Selina commented.
"Yeah, but enough about the past. Here is our first stop."
After putting the vehicle in park. Ashley, Bruce, and Selina unbuckled their seatbelts and got out. They were joined by the members of Maddow's team form the other Suburbans and the soldiers from the JLTVs. There was a slight chill to the early morning breeze, but the day would get warmer as it progressed.
"So does this bridge have a name?" Selina asked.
"This is the Arlington Memorial Bridge and below us is the Potomac River. We have a great view of the Washington Monument and the dome of the Capital Building from here."
And the Lincoln Memorial isn't too far away either. I've always wanted to see it up close."
Selina simply smiled and wrapped her arm around Bruce's shoulder.
"And you will, Bruce. But for now, let's just stand here with our de facto adoptive mother and the rest of our FBI and Army friends and enjoy the sunrise."
"They're DC National Guard, Selina."
"Whatever, they're soldiers just the same."
"This is going to be a very beautiful day," Ashley said.
