Tut the Magnificent…
Summary: A little reimagining of supervillain King Tut. A young genius, protégé of Gotham's prime benefactor, Bruce Wayne, distraught at the suffering in a place his hero Batman never deigns to frequent, has decided to help his people help themselves.
Part VII...
Present day Gotham…Office of the Commissioner of Police…
"Well?" James Gordon, comfortably seated in his heavy black leather chair, hearty and hale, as befitting a civil administrator having a rather good year…Mayor, City Council, and general populace all reasonably satisfied with the drop in violent and non-violent crime. Though a few, as always, either dissatisfied with the extent of the city's recovery or annoyed by the costs involved…Some of these increasingly pointing a finger to the success of Gotham's little brother to the north, Hamilton, in drastically reducing, some would even claim, eliminating, the crime which had devastated it, at considerably lower cost, by most accounts, over the last decade. A few among them noting the said Hamilton had had no need of a mysterious, if of later years, semi-deputized, vigilante whose behavior and methods were at times, and increasingly, disturbing, especially to those who placed constitutional rights above all.
"Did we have a fine time last night?" Gordon grinned at the seated Bruce Wayne, Wayne a bit uncomfortable in suit required for his upcoming board meeting, mock-frowning…
"Now 'Dad'…You know a gent never tells…"
"Well, just tell me you didn't get picked by another psycho like Selina Kyle…" Gordon eyed him. "Barbara's very concerned."
"She has no need to be, Danielle's a nice girl. No supervillain second career…"
"Tell me you didn't ask her that…" Gordon, mock-horror.
"Certainly not. Alfred ran a Google search, like he always does."
Gordon chuckling…Then, nodding. "Well, just so long as she can put up with 'Bruce Wayne: the national figure'."
"She's actually better known than I am…" Bruce grinned. "Danielle Dane from Greater Gotham News…"
"Really?" Gordon leaned back. "Nice girl, indeed. And very sharp, she gave me quite an interviewing a few weeks ago."
"She's been researching a story comparing how Gotham and Hamilton are getting crime down. It should be pretty good, actually."
"Just so long as it praises me to the skies and suggests Batman's efforts are all well and good, but a bit too much for a civilized era…" Gordon smiled. "Barbara says my head won't go through the door these days but I'm rather enjoying not being covered in buckets of manure continuously. Thanks."
"Anything Wayne Enterprises can do to make life better in Gotham…Billionaires prefer a high-quality of life city, you know."
"Exactly what I suspected you were in this for…" Gordon nodded. "So…Given I didn't call you in just to discuss your love life…"
"I'm ready to discuss yours anytime…" smile.
"Non-existent. I live for my work." Gordon, pulling out a bottle of scotch. "And 100 year old Scotch." He poured a bit into a glass, pushing to Wayne's side of the desk and poured himself one.
"At nine-fifteen in the morning, it had better be…" Bruce noted, taking glass.
"Some billionaire who gave it to me for Christmas years ago told me it was…But he was probably foisting off cheap hooch." Gordon lifting his glass. "L'chaim…"
"L'chaim…" Bruce raised glass, taking sip.
"So things are good and Commissioner Gordon takes to sipping old scotch early in the am out of sheer boredom…Surely a scenario we've longed for all these weary years." Gordon leaned back, fingering glass. Bruce regarding him…
"What's up, Jim? Carlo Tambino is in your hands, right? Are he or someone in his old gang a problem again? I gathered the rest of the surviving family's either pushing daisies or praying for the others."
"Sister Katherina…" Gordon shook head. "Katherine Tambino, once our 'most likely to kill her way to her dad's seat' candidate…Who'd've thought?…And if she's faking it, I've gotta say she deserves an Oscar." He indicated an open magazine on his desk.
"Infamous daughter and wife of mobsters, now heroic nun…" Wayne blinked at the headline on the story's first page.
"Not bad for a tag line…She's saving children in the Sudan?" Bruce looked up at Gordon.
"But always available if I ever need her to testify against those who did harm in her father's and her ex- ("Read, late."…Hard stare…) husband's name…What she told me when she left, after Carlo's trial. Right after he screamed in court he'd have her guts on toast for testifying against him."
"I remember. I remember figuring she was either insane or figured it was the one thing that could save her from the wrath of a hundred angry mobsters, including her dad and husband, taking holy orders. Until of course things had calmed, the syndicate was writhing without a head, and she'd make her bid to take over…"
"I was inclined that way myself, however sincere she seemed…"
"I guess the joke was on us…" Bruce shrugged. "Well, more power not of this world to her if she's really changed."
"More to the point, God spare those Sudanese kids…" Gordon noted. "But if real, you've got to admit…Bizarre."
"But not completely unheard of…Her father was a monster, her husband little better, her life for all the trimmings must have been endless hell. The Church has found fertile ground in such situations." Wayne shrugged. "And dear old Maxy Dikas is no more?"
"Therein the bizarre deepens…" Gordon sighed. "You're right, we've had ole Carlo on ice for six years, since his lovely daughter and a few suddenly contrite politicians and even a couple of his lieutenants turned state's and helped us bring down what was left of his syndicate. You may recall he'd made the strategic decision to move the remnants of his battered forces to Hamilton after some lunatic vigilante had nearly wiped out his empire here in dear Gotham." Grin.
"With the help of some lunatic cop…" Bruce noted, grinning.
"Senile ole fool, seeking a little glory, I hear…" Gordon nodded. "Well, Carlo hadn't done too badly in his tactical retreat…Hamilton was pretty fertile ground if small relative to our town…And of course preety well staked out by smaller players who'd had the same brilliant notion after Batman's repeated visitations upon them here."
"Yeah…I think Henry has never really forgiven Batman for letting that happen…" Bruce sighed.
"Jesus." Gordon blinked. "Tell me you haven't…"
"No, of course not. Neither of the kids…" Bruce shook head. "But…"
"So that's why a large Bat's been noted flying about in the suburbs outside Gotham the last eight or nine years…I thought so." Jim eyed him. "You've been trying to 'atone' for not solving all the world's problems yourself, eh?"
"I should have done more there, sooner. I knew some of the mobs were in or running to Hamilton."
"And LA…Chicago…Metropolis…DC…Are you planning visits everywhere? I can suggest some nice villages."
"Jim…I just felt…And it may have helped…" Bruce noted, sheepishly.
"Henry and his foster dad have to understand Batman can't solve all the world's problems…"
"He doesn't think that way. I don't either…But, my driving them out of Gotham did play a role in making things worse there."
"You remember, a very long time ago, I said something along those lines to you?" Gordon, calmly.
"'You may treat the symptoms, Bruce…The disease goes on until till we find a real cure.'" Bruce nodded. "And I've tried applying that cure as well…"
"I know…" Gordon nodded, kindly. "And I'll hazard a guess that's what will endure, long after Batman the vigilante's forgotten. What Bruce Wayne did to save Gotham and Hamilton and encouraged others to do. That's your real legacy."
"I hope so. I want it to be." Wry smile… "Well?...Carlo moved to Hamilton, things went swimmingly once he kicked a few asses of the small fry…Then…"
"Then…It all went tumbling down…In the space of two years…In a little city once rated the most corrupt and crime-ridden in America by several learned types. And while Batman did kick an ass or two in support, it wasn't his doing…"
"No…It was great to see…" Bruce smiled. "Something I'd hoped to see for years. A city reclaiming itself without my help. People rising up, taking their lives back…I see it now in Gotham, too, at last."
"Beautiful picture and continues to this very day…You're heading over for Founders' Day on Friday, as always, right?"
"I never miss it unless someone has me strapped to a post awaiting a bomb's detonation…" Bruce, wryly.
"Which happens too often with you…Though I pity the supervillain tryin' it when Founders' Day looms. Batman is nothing compared to Dad Wayne." Gordon smiled.
"Ok, so this involves Tambino's people in Hamilton…Can we?" Bruce waved. "If there's trouble brewing there again…?"
"See? Dad Wayne trumps the Bat every time." Gordon nodded. "Do you know that Dikas killed himself?"
"Max Dikas? I hadn't heard before you hinted at it but I'd seriously doubt the 'himself'." Bruce noted. "What, by cutting himself into several pieces and mailing the pieces to separate cities? Carlo must have finally decided his dear son-in-law was in with Kate and evened the score?"
"No. I was there. The other night, after he gave some friends of mine in the federal government the last bit of evidence they needed to put a certain Gotham Senator away for life."
"You finally nailed Senator Reddit? Jim, that's tremendous…" Bruce sat up. "What did Dikas have on him?"
"It'll be in the papers…Involves a party girl who got too greedy, then dead, and several defense contractors who were very liberal in their gifts to our elected representatives but not so to their employees and liked to employ Dikas' goons to instruct said employees in proper behavior, sadly getting too 'into' their job with the written approval of our noble Senator."
"And Dikas suddenly gave you that info? He was on death row, did he expect a pardon?"
"He not only didn't request a deal, he was quite eloquent as to wanting to atone for his crimes. He killed himself right in front of us after finishing his testimony. Said to tell Carlo it was his sacrifice for Kate…A life for a life."
"Killed himself to save Kate from her father? Max Dikas?"
"That's what he claimed…I must say even Carlo was rather stunned."
"But even if this is true…He must've known you had Carlo…That he couldn't reach Katie…"
"Having Tambino under lock and key and being able to keep him from having people he wants killed, killed are two different things entirely, Bruce." Gordon calmly. "We do our best but he's there every day, his people are still about in and out of Gotham State Pen, and he finds the weak spots. It's not easy but he's learned patience in his declining years. Hopefully, he'll either die or we'll be able to get the feds to let us kill him soon. Though he is good at keeping back just enough to keep his life worth preserving for now."
"What about Kate Dikas? Is she in danger?"
"Now there's a forgiving man considering she'd once told Batman she'd have his balls mounted, of course she was only sweet sixteen at the time, but a true Tambino. Carlo claims he's satisfied…An old school type, he can appreciate a gesture of honor…But I've tried to see the Sister got protection. So far, so good…Though any terrorist or crazy soldier could kill her at any time, as the good Sister indeed pointed out to me when I spoke to her."
"Unbelievable…I would have thought Dikas would pay to have her killed."
"He did…Multiple times…" Gordon nodded. "But his contacts weren't as loyal as Carlo's and definitely not as skillful."
"Then why the sudden change…Contrition? Was he going to be executed, at last?"
"He had a decade of appeals at least before him and a good chance friends in high places would get him off, even, out, and Carlo's fine example in witness protection as a fallback if all else failed. We only had him on the one murder charge, after all, unlike dear old dad-in-law. No, he had no particular reason just now to find Jesus...Or, Tut…" Gordon eyed Wayne.
"Tut? That group in Hamilton, that Jack Jensen ran?…He had a tie to them?"
"He died with 'Oh, Tut…' on his lips…" Gordon frowned.
Bruce, shaking head…"They were big for a little while, with Jensen's money from his dad, something of a cult…But they faded out after Henry refused to support them in his grandfather's name, despite his mother joining. I've heard they're nothing but a self-help group now, since Jensen gave them up as well. Dikas had ties to them?"
"Seems he was a true believer, in his last days." Gordon noted "Never a hint of any interest in religion or philosophy from Max Dikas, not even something like taking an interest in Adolf Hitler or Mussolini which you might expect from a murderous gangster with histrionic pretentions. But, in his last few days, the man seems to have suddenly undergone a transformation…Calm and stoic, respectful to the guards and the warden, anxious to make amends…Counseling some of the wilder young bucks. He contacted the feds and me, not us him."
"Tut…Was there any sign he was a member of their group before? It wouldn't surprise me that he knew young Jensen." Bruce frowned. "Henry and I were always sure he'd something up his sleeve with the Tuts, trying to get into the local rackets with his own gang. But when he cut them loose…" shrug.
"None…In fact before he and Carlo collapsed in Hamilton, he'd had 'run-ins' with the Tut group. Roughed up several of them when they chased his dealers out of their neighborhood. Probably had two of the junior leaders calling for tougher actions on crime killed, from what we know. He or Carlo, anyway…Bizarre enough?"
"Somewhat…When did you say this reformation occurred?"
"I can pinpoint it. It was right after he received a letter…His first in years…Guess who from?"
"Kate?"
"Sister Katherina…Yeah. Hoping he was well, trusting he would believe her in her wishes for his redemption. Appealing to him as a Catholic to try and redeem himself and apologizing for having to divorce him. Very sweet letter actually, he showed it to me after he called us in…Said she'd never lied to him about loving him during the marriage."
"And that drove him over the edge?"
"Looks like…He claimed it had changed his life." Gordon noted. "Who'd've imagined Max Dikas becoming a romantic on death row…?"
"Code, maybe? She and he had a plan?"
"Long time for Dikas to wait to employ such a scheme. And Sister Katherina would have to be the most devoted mob wife in history to have endured all that she has just to throw us off the scent."
"Wow."
"Wow." Gordon nodded.
"Still, stranger things…" Bruce noted.
"And they have happened…" Gordon sighed. "And so we get to Frankie Vallenti…"