Taking down the Mob
"I knew something was down in the docks, something scary and terrifying. I could see him, the Batman. He was the fear of God, with the terror of the Devil. It was a pleasure to watch him work, sure he doesn't have my style or my awesomeness, but at least the bad guys are scared…and begging me to arrest them instead." –Ben 10,000.
Gwen had never felt so uncomfortable in her life; she had announced that she was running for mayor. That got a lot of attention. The press spun it as "Retired Heroine Seeks to better our Fine City." Gwen knew Falcone and the other mobsters were on edge, because she was bribery proof.
They had sent people to "encourage" her to fall in line. She sent them straight to the I.C.U. They'd even tried to kill her, but they never could. So they decided to invite her to a dinner party, hoping that meeting her in person would change her mind.
Using her Plumbers training, she was able to make note of all the weapons and security the mob had at the building. She'd just have to play it cool and keep a low profile and not ruffle too many mobster feathers.
"Mister Falcone," Gwen smiled politely. "I'm honored to meet you in person!"
About as honored as meeting Satan would be, she thought to herself.
"I'm very impressed, Gwendolyn, a retired hero trying to better her city, it's very admirable. You could use a financial boost; I'm offering you a campaign contribution," Falcone appeared friendly.
"I'm awfully flattered, but you're so busy, a financial investment might inconvenience you at the moment," Gwen gave him an appeasing smile, she wasn't saying yes and she wasn't refusing.
"Make sure that you consider my offer carefully," Falcone smiled.
"I uh…" Gwen tried to find the right words to come up with a response.
"Oh, don't badger the poor girl, Carmine," Marian smiled. "I'm sure she'll give you an answer soon enough."
"Ah Gwendolyn, I'm surprised to see you here," Police Commissioner Loeb greeted her.
"Hello Commissioner," Gwen nodded.
"I have a phone call," Commissioner Loeb spoke up.
"Lieutenant Gordon, what a surprise," Loeb answered his phone. "Batman? I am eating, Lieutenant. …No I have not filled in your requests for personnel. I find them excessive. …Yes, Lieutenant, I'm well aware of the laws the vigilante is breaking, there are two sides to everything, aren't there?"
"Yes there are. And the Batman is having a positive effect on public spirit. Or have you noticed the drop in street crimes these past few weeks?...Further, I am not in the habit of explaining myself to my lieutenants. I hope we understand each other, Gordon."
"Have you seen Batman Commissioner? They say he's huge…" Marian asked.
"You shouldn't pry, Marian. Gill has his hands full, these days."
"Batman? Isn't he that vigilante that's made the papers?" Gwen asked.
"Yes he is. Quite interesting isn't it? Didn't you used to be a hero?"
"I haven't been a hero in years, heroics are hard, especially for people who try to change things," Gwen laughed. The others grinned, thinking she was mocking Batman. She secretly admired him. He was doing thing she and Ben had never been able to do, hit these guys where it hurt. She used to believe that you shouldn't take the law into your own hands, but she'd abandoned that belief, Bellwood had become a city that needed vigilante to do things the law could not.
"We're trusting him to cope with Batman—and with Gordon," Falcone replied, sipping his drink. "And I appreciate your trust boys, yes I do…"
"Hell Gill, nobody was about to go near you, until the polls got in on the Batman thing. Don't go cheap on the wine, Marian."
"Charlie. The things you say!"
The Councilman is blunt about his concerns. This is an election year," Falcone pointed out. My organization is likewise concerned. Batman is costing us money."
Gwen managed to not go slack jawed due to the fact that they were talking mob business in front of the police commissioner, but then again, they had him in their pocket.
Commissioner Loeb spoke up, "Two sides to everything, friends, Look at the long-term. A few street operators are out of action, yes—but the people of Bellwood need a hero. Like that Ben 10,000 fella. Makes them feel safer, and the safer they feel, the fewer questions they ask."
Gwen felt disgusted; they even used Ben 10,000 to their advantage. She didn't say a word.
"I don't like it, it's stirring things up," Falcone scowled. "That kid Dent pushing internal affairs to go after Detective Flass. Flass would be very hard to replace. And, should he talk…"
"Dent is your problem, Falcone, yes he is," Loeb replied.
Gwen saw the smoke bomb come flying in, she immediately shielded her mouth and eyes so she could see, the other mobsters were so panicked they couldn't see, but she could.
"What the hell—" Leob uttered in surprise.
"Who the—" Falcone asked, he felt something new and foreign to him. Fear.
"God, we'll all die—"
"—the lights, what happened to the lights—?"
"—Damn it it's just some smoke—" Falcone coughed.
"—Some stupid prank—"
"—Poison it's—"
"—Shut up—"
Gwen heard a loud poom as something exploded.
She heard the wall explode. She released her powers and said nothing while the others panicked. There was a large hole in the wall. The lights were out but she could see him standing amidst the smoke.
"Ladies. Gentlemen. You have eaten well. You've eaten Bellwood's wealth, it's spirit." Batman calmly approached the burning charger plate. Gwen could see his face in the flames. "Your feast is nearly over. From now on—none of you are safe."
He closed the lid, plunging the room back into darkness. Kevin could see her sitting there, calmly staring at him, no fear or terror in her eyes. He knew why she was there; they were trying to buy her off. They had failed and the two of them knew it. She had nothing to fear from him, he smiled a little as his masked eyes met hers. They managed to restore the power, he was long gone.
Gwen left the building, got in her car and drove straight to Ben's headquarters.
"So how did dinner with all the corrupt scum and mobsters go?" Ben asked cheerfully. "They buy you off?"
"No, but it was the best dinner I've been to, Batman showed up, scared them shitless!" Gwen laughed. "It took everything for me not to laugh in front of all of them."
"So what was he like?" Ben had heard stories of the urban legend.
"He was fear…fear for anyone who is a criminal. I admire him for that. He's getting to them when we can't."
"That's good, it means much less work for me!" Ben 10,000 laughed. "You'd better head home, Gwen. I've got work to do, and you do have to campaign tomorrow."
"All right, wish I could join you out there myself, but I don't feel it in me to fight anymore, at least, not with my fists." Gwen smiled softly. She turned and left.
Gwen arrived back at her house and got ready for bed; she sighed, and drifted off to sleep. Gone were the days when she only got a few hours of sleep before school. She could sleep as much as she needed to, at least until it was time to get up and campaign. Compared to back then, she got plenty of rest.
She shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Gwen found herself in a dark cave, she couldn't see too much. She could sense it, prescience beside her. She felt hands wrapped around her shoulders.
She could see the figure of Batman, his long cape barely an outline in the dark cave.
"Who are you?" Gwen asked.
"I am Batman," it spoke to her.
"I know that, but who are you without the mask?"
"I am Batman," he repeated. "I was born the night he died. You helped shape me, kept me from becoming lost in the scramble for my own gratification. You keep me sane and I love you."
"But I don't know you!" Gwen insisted. The shadowy figure leaned in. Gwen could feel warm, hot breath in her face, he kissed her deeply.
"But I know you, I have known you all your life, he wanted to forget you, he wanted to bury his feelings for you, but I would not let him, I kept our love locked away in his heart where he could not drown it out with beautiful women or booze or money. I will always battle evil as I will always love you."
"I don't understand…" Gwen whispered.
"You don't need too…" Batman pressed himself against her.
Gwen woke with a start, sweat dripped down her forehead.
"Ugh! It was just a dream." Gwen felt exhausted; she didn't even think that was possible in a dream.
She looked down between her legs, "I had one of those dreams! About someone I don't even know!"
His hands, she could feel his hands, touching her, his lips kissing her, suckling her skin. She could feel him buried deep inside her, his powerful body thrusting in and out of hers.
"What's wrong with me? I haven't been happy since I was married…" Gwen asked herself. She buried her head in her pillow and went back to sleep, this time, no images of vigilantes entered her dreams.
Kevin Levin left the mobsters, it had gone very well that evening, now they were afraid and he would stomp them out for good. It was time to go to work. He climbed over the rooftops and as he headed towards the docks. He'd heard that aliens had teamed up with Falcone's thugs to sell the mob level 5 alien technology and weapons.
He spotted the transport ship land. A thug named Stice was there waiting for the alien seller to unload the goods.
The nameless dealer handed him the weapons, Kevin noted.
Factory new Laser Lances. To think that tech was old now, he thought. I think I'm starting to feel old.
Ether point energy module. Antenna focus emitter, good for 35 minutes of continues fire at 0.6 Terawatts. Fortunately, I know how to break them.
He watched as the seller took the money. He handed Stice the laser lances. Stice didn't even test fire it. He just assumed it worked. Kevin spotted Carmine Falcone's car, along with Detective Flass sitting in the car passenger's seat.
They don't even test them, kids these days, Kevin shook his head; he noticed some of the other men started moving the weapons crates to trucks. Kevin pried the back of one of them open and snuck in, waiting for his prey. The man placed the box inside the back of the truck and turned around. Kevin snatched him from behind, pulling him into the darkness.
The other men looked around, wondering where their other companion went. He fumbled for the laser lance, he'd assumed it was like an ordinary gun, but being alien tech, he didn't know how to control the laser fire and squeezed off blasts that cause cars to explode.
"Careful Stice! You'll blow us all to Hell!" one of the other men shouted at him.
I smell their fear; it tastes sweet, Kevin smiled for the first time. He remembered how Ben had tried to instill fear in his enemies by screaming the name of his transformation. But he instilled fear through silence and dread.
A thug began firing his laser lance wildly, not caring what he hit. Suddenly, a strange shuriken flew out and knocked the gun from his hands. It landed on the ground.
"Is that…?" one man asked.
The other looked up in terror. "A bat!"
Kevin swooped down on them, throwing down a smoke grenade. The men coughed and sputtered.
"Can't breathe!" Stice shouted.
Kevin put Stice in a sleeper hold and the man slumped to the ground. He used his grapple gun to trip up another thug. He grappled up above them just out of sight.
"That's cute man, real cute!" the thug shouted. "Who do you think you are?! Darkwing Duck?!"
"Let's get dangerous!" Kevin snarled.
"Aaaahhh!" the thug shouted as Kevin slammed his feet into the man's face. The thug hit the pavement out cold.
Kevin cautiously stepped over the unconscious men and looked over as the rest of them tried to make a break for it only to run into Ben 10,000.
Ben 10,000 had arrived at the docks too. He'd heard about an alien/mob transaction, he was going to break it up, he'd been trying so hard to get Falcone for years, but he'd not gotten a lucky break until now.
"All right, I can finally bust you guys!" Ben said loudly and cheerfully. Kevin wanted to smack him.
Nobody took Ben 10,000 seriously, at least until Ben put on his serious face.
Ben saw him attacking, a blur of black and gray. He was skilled in martial arts. Ben wondered just who he was. Men were screaming and trying to shoot him while in a state of panic.
"Four Arms!" Ben 10,000 transformed into the Tetramand species as he fought off a small group of them, sweeping them off their feet with powerful punches. He dispatched them easily.Ben 10,000 looked at the vigilante and frowned. "Need any help?""I work better alone, and you're getting in my way," Kevin scowled. "This town's big enough that you can stay out of my way and still do your job."
"You could work with me, my best friend hasn't shown any interest in helping me out," Ben offered.
"I work alone," Batman repeated.
"You've been scaring up all the bad guys; you're making me look bad," Ben looked at him.
"Have you actually been trying to fight them?" Kevin retorted, glowering.
"I've been fighting them longer than you!" Ben snapped.
"I don't have time to deal with you, Falcone's panicking. And because you won't stop talking, Detective Flass got away!" Falcone's driver started up the car, Kevin moved to go after him, only to have Ben turn into XLR8 and block Falcone's car. Taking advantage of the situation, Kevin smashed his fist through the roof and hauled Falcone out.
"Who the Hell are you?" Falcone asked fearfully.
"I'm Batman!" Batman replied, he used a grapple to vanish from Ben's sight.
Ben hauled Falcone's driver out of the car and tied up the remaining thugs and looked around. He jumped when Batman unexpectedly appeared behind him.
"Good work, you've saved me the trouble," He motioned to Ben. "Put them over there."
"Whoa!" Ben stared in shock. Falcone was tied to a giant spotlight, his arms outstretched like bat wings. Ben looked up in the sky. He could see the signal, a symbol of hope for the good people of Bellwood, a symbol of terror to its criminals.
"Now they all know I'm here," Batman said.
