Disclaimer: I do not own and am not, in any way, affiliated with the Dark Knight franchise.


"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world"

W.B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"


Chapter One

For a Friday afternoon, Gotham General Hospital was slow and quiet, which was exactly how Audrey preferred it.

From the nurse's station in the Emergency Room she could hear a sportscaster talking about the upcoming football game. It was the first game of the season and against Gotham's rival, Rapid City. By evening, the waiting room would be packed with drunks and people who had gotten into fights. Not that the two were mutually exclusive. That is not the shift I would want to be on. No, she would be watching the game from the comfort of her own couch.

"Huh. Wasn't John Daggett at that charity gala you went to?" Beth asked, newspaper rustling as she turned the page.

Audrey looked up from the computer where she was working on a report and made a face. "Ah, yes, Chad's boss' boss. How did you know that was what I wanted to be reminded of at this exact moment?"

Beth grinned. "Hey, did he ever call you for a third date?" She held up the paper to block the pen rocketing toward her head.

Elizabeth Sawyer was Audrey's best friend and had been since the first grade. In looks and personality, they were complete opposites. Where Beth was tall with model-esque features, straight blonde haired, and green eyes, Audrey's eyes were brown, her hair curly and dark, and she had what patients often deemed a sweet, angelic face. Only the hospital staff knew the truth. It was poor Beth that was often mistaken as the intimidating one because she was shy and stunning when it was actually Audrey who had the more cynical disposition. After Audrey's return to Gotham, Beth had come to the rescue and snagged her the job at the hospital.

"No, and that was, what? A month ago? Longer? Speaking of dates- how was Saturday with Officer Blake?" Beth colored. She had been asked out several weeks ago by a charming Gotham PD officer and, though she had kept quiet about the details, Audrey couldn't resist teasing her. She held up her hands and silently counted the number of dates on her fingers. "That's- what- your sixth date now? Am I officially allowed to call him your boyfriend yet?" She grinned and spun around in her chair as a highlighter whizzed through the air.

"Audrey," interrupted an exasperated, but slightly amused voice. "Mr. Foster is asking for you."

"Aw, come on," she whined. "I've got ten minutes left on my shift, Cass."

Cassandra, the charge nurse, gave her a no-nonsense look before walking away. Audrey sighed dramatically and pushed against the desk so the chair rolled away from it. "He probably thinks he can get more pudding off of me, the dirty dog."

"Drinks after work tonight?" Beth asked.

"Ooh- no can do, buckaroo. I promised my Dad I'd watch the game with him. If you get lonely without Blake's big, strong arms to hold you, you're more than welcome to-" She ducked to avoid a flying staple remover. "Join us."

Humming to herself, and swinging the end of her stethoscope, Audrey walked down the hall. When she reached the room marked 5, she poked her head around the corner just in time to catch the ending of the National Anthem. "Hey, Mr. F." She stepped inside, conducting a quick scan of the machinery to make sure everything sounded and looked like it was supposed to. "How's she doing?"

Mrs. Foster had been admitted early that morning for a stroke. They had managed to get her stabilized but didn't want to move her until she was a little stronger.

"Hey! She's still sleeping." He grinned and winked at her. "Game's about to start. Didn't think you'd want to miss kick off before you left."

Best part of the job. Audrey smiled back, leaning against the wall closest to the window so she could stare at the screen where the players were lining up. "You thought right, sir."

They watched as Rapid City kicked off but Gotham caught the ball. Audrey gave a small whoop of enthusiasm as the Rogues cleared the path for him down the field while Mr. Foster cursed excitedly under his breath.

That was when the first set of explosions shook the ground beneath them. It was a force so powerful that she could actually hear the stifled boom first. All around the hospital people screamed. Someone in another room shouted about an earthquake, but Audrey watched as outside of the window a manhole erupted violently into the air.

She thought back to that morning, when a confused looking police Captain had dropped in to check on the commissioner, and her heart leapt into her throat. Oh my god- didn't he say something about a police training in the tunnels? She was about to run out to check on Beth when Mr. Foster gave a startled shout and pointed at the television. Audrey's hands flew to her mouth as a string of swear words escaped her lips.

The stadium had been blown right down the middle. Out of one corner emerged a half dozen figures, clad in combat gear and toting rifles, wheeling something large, round, and metallic.

"Gotham! Take control. Take control of your city." The booming voice belonged to a hulking figure with a black mask around his head and mouth. He made a gesture to the people behind him. Audrey squinted at the screen and realized, with growing alarm, that each man was wearing a red scarf around his throat. It wasn't a fashion statement, it was an identifier. A way to separate us from them. A hunched, handcuffed figure was brought forward.

"Christ!" Mr. Foster whispered in a tone that scared Audrey more than what was on the television. "That's a bomb."

The world around her disappeared while they watched this so-called "liberator of Gotham" conduct a brief interview with the only man who could disarm the device, a man named Pavel. Audrey would never forget it for as long as she lived.

This was something that happened in war-torn countries where dictators and tyrants ruled. Not in Gotham. Not anymore. The thought immediately following this twisted her stomach. My dad is watching this right now. She ripped her eyes away from the TV as the massive monster snapped the doctor's neck.

Crisis mode kicked in. "Mr. Foster, I'm going out to see what's going on. If I don't check on you, someone else will, okay?" He nodded and as she stepped into the hall, where people were running wildly back and forth, the power went out. What now? Not wanting to be alone, she sprinted down the to the nurse's station where a wide-eyed Beth was holding a dead phone in one hand.

"What's-"

The pop-pop of automatic rifle fire followed by screams cut through her words. Without thinking, Audrey hopped over the desk and pulled Beth and some man- a doctor- to the floor. "Shh!" she hissed, straining to listen. There were two more reports, these fired from something with less power, but both sounded like they were coming through the wall. Hesitantly, she peered over the desk where Cassandra was crouched down across from her. They gave each other a thumb's up and Cass scurried over as the backup generator kicked on.

"What the hell is going on?" the doctor demanded, standing up and brushing himself off.

Audrey ignored him, looking at Cass and Beth. "Long term is next door, right?"

The ward, which had gone quiet after the gunfire, was starting to come alive again. Cass nodded, unsure what she was getting at.

"They're here for Commissioner Gordon, aren't they?" Beth finally reasoned. "Who are they? What do they want?"

"Clearly, they're terrorists." The doctor seemed pleased with himself for having something useful to add. Cassandra shot him a withering look at which caused him to splutter and glance away.

"Do you think we should check on them?"

Cassandra's eyes rolled to the ceiling. "No, Miss Doctors Without Borders, we should not. This isn't a combat zone; we've got a whole hospital full of trained, competent people who can help. We're going to stay here and take care of our patients. We've got maybe eight hours with the backup gen. We'll have to move the critical care patients and pray we get these people out safely."

She had kids at home, Audrey knew, and in that moment her respect for Cassandra skyrocketed.

Beth punched fruitlessly at the numbers on the phone. "The lines must have gone down in the explosion." Her eyes welled with frustrated tears as she slammed it back down. Audrey put an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

"What about your dad? Or Cass' husband and kids? What are we going to do, Aud?"

The weight of that question was crushing.

"Everyone's going to be okay. We're going to get through this."

She wasn't sure she believed it.

Another doctor came running down the hall, skidding to a halt in front of them. "They just got Rapid City on the radio. They're not taking any patients until further notice. Our helicopter is grounded so we can't even air-vac anybody out." He ran his hands through his hair. "We're on fucking lockdown because they're saying these assholes have threatened to blow the city if anyone leaves."

Five faces stared blankly at one another, each trying to digest this new information. The formerly smug doctor spoke first. "Well, we get everyone out of here that we can and-"

The metallic doors burst open and three men entered, surrounding the desk. Each one was wearing a red scarf.

"Who's in charge?" The man in the middle demanded in what Audrey guessed was a Russian accent. The smug doctor cowered in the corner and Audrey saw Cass step up but she darted forward, cutting her off. She turned her head slightly, so that their eyes met, and gave her head an imperceptible shake.

"I am," declared Audrey in a voice that was braver than she felt. The Russian regarded her doubtfully and glanced back to where the doctors were standing.

He shrugged and grunted, "Fine. Bane orders we move life threatening only. You," he made a sweeping motion with his gun to indicate all of them. "Show us who. Nothing funny or we shoot."

"Deal."

(-)

"That was a dumb ass thing to do," Cass snapped as they walked, unescorted, out of the building. It had taken them two hours, but they had managed to clear the floor. Audrey, Beth, and Cassandra had all offered to help with the remaining areas but had been told in no uncertain terms to get lost.

"Because you weren't about to do the same thing? You've got kids at home, Cass."

"And you've got your daddy who's probably worried sick about you." Audrey felt her jaw clench. Low blow.

Beth, who had sensed this might be coming, broke in before they got nasty. "Knock it off. You're both too ballsy for your own good. We're lucky they didn't kidnap us or worse. Besides, I think both of you should have kept quiet."

Audrey rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and sighed. She didn't want to fight about this. "Well, I didn't see the doctors doing anything about it." It broke the tension. They all laughed.

When they reached the parking lot, Cass pulled them both into a fierce hug. "You girls take care of yourselves, okay? I'll see you when this whole thing is over."

Beth drove them home in silence, carefully navigating through the semi-ruined streets. Audrey's neighborhood seemed mostly untouched by the chaos although they'd had to swerve around a gaping man hole.

"You're welcome to come in, you know," Audrey offered as the car came to a stop in front of her house.

Beth shook her head and blew out a long breath. "Thanks, but I want to check on my folks and see if, you know, I hear from him. Love you, Aud."

"Love you too, B," Audrey replied and watched her take off.

When the car was safely down the street, Audrey turned and trudged up the steps to the townhouse her parents had lived in since before she'd been born. The doorknob turned easily and her nose scrunched in annoyance. Her father, despite all of his anxieties, never locked the front door when he was home. It was always her job to do that before they turned in for the night.

She was immediately greeted by a plump, wiggly fawn colored pug. Lobelia had been her parents' way to battle empty nest syndrome. With her fickle personality, which had not gotten better with age, she fit the Tolkien character she had been named for. Audrey reached down and gave her a good scratch behind the ear to calm her down. "Dad?" she called.

The television glowed vividly in the quickly dimming evening light. Audrey followed the sound to the living room where her father, Alexander Campbell, was camped out on the couch. His eyes flicked up and relief washed over his face. He leapt up, not an easy feat for such a big man, and engulfed her in a bone crushing hug. When he released her, he swiped under his eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay, kiddo. I was watching the game and now-" he pointed at the flat screen which was broadcasting the speech from the stadium again.

"I know. I'm glad you're okay too. Did you-"

Alex held up a hand, his focus on the screen behind her. The coverage had shifted to a live reporter who was standing outside the hospital. Audrey groaned and collapsed on the couch. He sat next to her and turned up the volume.

"We have received reports that five people are confirmed dead after the occupation of Gotham General Hospital late this afternoon following the events at Gotham Stadium." The station cut to grainy cellphone footage showed men with guns running into the facility. Animals. She knew he was looking at her, but kept her gaze trained on the screen. The camera shifted back to the reporter. "Commissioner Gordon is still listed as missing despite a statement issued by the hospital that everyone has been safely evacuated from the facility."

Nervously, she turned to face him. "Okay, before you say anything, it really wasn't -"

"You're not going back there, are you?" His tone was more plea than demand.

"I mean, no, it's shut down, but Dad, come on. I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing while a bunch of… radical assholes take over the city. People are going to get hurt. They're going to need help."

"Who? Who's going to need help? They've got the police trapped and they've given the detonator to someone in the city-"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I doubt they just handed some idiot a trigger to a nuclear bomb. And there are going to be people left on the streets that are going to want to fight back." At least, I hope there are.

Alex's shoulders slumped. "You're as stubborn as your mother was. Look, Audrey, you don't have to fight all the time. Some battles are too big for one person." She chewed her lower lip and said nothing. There was no way to make him understand that she wasn't fighting, she was helping. Healing. He sighed. "What about a compromise? I'm going to St. Swithin's tomorrow. We can talk to Reilly about setting something up for the boys but I'm sure he'll open it up to whoever needs shelter."

And, for the second time that day, Audrey found herself uttering the words, "Deal."