"Riddle me this: what do you call a former supervillain that saved his greatest foe and saved Gotham City along with it? Edward Nygma, otherwise known as 'the Ridder', has kept the answer to that riddle to himself as he opened his new office on the East End of Gotham City. Nygma had been intending to open an office separate from the one on the West End for several months, but was unable to provide the funding needed to run two offices at once. Today, Nygma changed all of that by unveiling his new base of operations.
'This office is a trophy that I will brandish for the rest of my life. Not only did I prove to the Batman that I'm a better detective than him by uncovering Hush's plot to impersonate Bruce Wayne in addition to his involvement in Roland Daggett's illegal organ donor program, I saved his life and now both him and Mayor Wayne owe me a debt of gratitude. This office is but a very small step in the enormous debt that Mayor Wayne owes me for saving his life, his legacy, and his seat in City Hall...but I will accept it graciously, because that's the kind of person I am. What kind of man never leaves you down? Bru-u-u-ce...GAHAHAHAHA!'
In an ironic twist of fate, Nygma's new office was given to him by Mayor Wayne, but most of its day-to-day operations when Nygma is off on cases will be performed by Selina Kyle, who has gained a degree of fame as the high-stakes thief and vigilante Catwoman. Since abandoning her life of crime, Kyle has been using the money she has accumulated in her long career to contribute to rebuilding the economically-disadvantaged East End so that it can match the more upscale parts of the city. When Nygma first announced his intention to open an office on the East End, he revealed that the first person he went to was Kyle. At the opening, Kyle had this to say:
'As much as Nygma might annoy me, I can admire someone who is willing to push aside the prestige and danger of being a masked criminal if it means leading a legitimate life. It's no secret that I am one of the biggest supporters of both the Batman and Mayor Wayne, and I can respect Nygma for putting aside his vendettas against them to do the right thing. Therefore, I'll help him manage his East End office and acclimate him to the area...but if I detect the slightest hint of deception, or that he's about to revert to type...I'll cut his balls off and stomp on them while he squeals on the floor wondering when the pain will stop. You can count on that!'
While working in the East End, Nygma's West End office will be run by his two secretaries, who were former accomplices of Nygma during his criminal career, nicknamed 'Echo' and 'Query.' With Mayor Wayne now officially in office, it would appear that at least in some circles, cops and robbers are working together to create a better, stronger Gotham.
This is Summer Gleeson, 6 o'clock news."
"Can you believe that nonsense? I still haven't forgotten how that maniac tried to kill me with that virtual reality mess."
"Stranger things have happened, Commissioner," Mayor Wayne said with a smirk as he turned off the massive television screen in his office and turned to his guests. "Everything has been shooting by us with such rapidity that even I'm having trouble believing everything that's transpired."
"Same...but I don't think that's a bad thing at all, Mr. Mayor," Gordon formed a grin of his own on his mustached face as he looked around the mayor's office that had housed so many city leaders before Wayne. "You know, ever since I started working in Gotham City, I always hated coming into this office. Everything is so neatly organized with all of this fancy furniture that it's like the mayor completely distances himself from the decadence and garbage that our city chokes on. Most of the time, the mayors are just as bad as the crooks we bring in."
"Hopefully you don't think I'm one of those crooks," Mayor Wayne added as Gordon turned back to him.
"I admit, I had my doubts about you early on," Gordon pulled out his pipe and placed it in his mouth before pulling out a match. Before he could light it, Detective Bullock leaned over with a lighter and lit the pipe for him. Nodding his head in thanks, Gordon turned back to Wayne and took a puff from his pipe and blowing smoke from his nostrils. "You always kept your nose clean, but you didn't really strike me as someone who could run this city until this campaign. I guess you finally got the message that the city needs someone who knows what it's like to be a victim of the problems that keep it from being like Metropolis."
"...can I offer either of you some coffee?" Bruce turned to the steel pot next to his desk.
"No thanks: Bullock and I need to investigate a gang feud that's been going on in the South End. We think that the Joker might be pitting the two sides against one another," Gordon said as he outstretched his hand and offered a handshake to the new mayor of Gotham City. Once Bruce gripped his hand tightly and complied, Gordon gave him the very same comforting smile that he gave Bruce when he was just a simple policeman, comforting a boy that had just lost his parents. "I'm proud of you, Mr. Wayne. You've grown up into a fine man. I didn't know your parents personally, but I can bet that they're smiling down on you right now."
"I'd like to think so, Commissioner," Bruce said with a smile of his own, reminding him of how good of a friend Gordon was, and how much greater that friendship would become now that he could interact with him both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. "Please come back here 11 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. I should have a draft of the plans what we we'll need to do to clean up the drug problems in the North End of the city."
"Of course," Gordon nodded his head before releasing the handshake and turning away.
But rather than follow his counterpart out of the building, at least immediately, Bullock continued to give Mayor Wayne the same quizzical look that he had been giving him since they walked in. Unable to shake it off, Bruce finally asked, "Is something wrong, detective?"
"Yeah...yeah, there is," Bullock answered with the same impolite demeanor he always carried around with him. "The Bat was mighty conspicuous in his absence during this whole mess with Daggett and Shush. That entire time you were up on the pulpit preaching how you were going to clean up Gotham and giving all of that 'Never Again' bullplop, the Bat was nowhere to be found. Then as soon as you got elected, the Bat shows up again and takes out Shush."
"...sadly, I am not privy to the movements of Batman," Mayor Wayne replied after a brief pause, wondering what Bullock was leading to. "But I imagine he was hard at work gathering the evidence needed to reveal Hush's deception. Thankfully, he was able to do so before he implemented his plan: I'd prefer not to think about what would have happened if he succeeded in taking my place in society and ran the city."
"Yeah...yeah, that's what I figured," Bullock grumbled before turning to a box of doughnuts next to the coffee pot. Reaching for one of the doughnuts, Bullock shoved it in his mouth before turning away from the new mayor and giving him some parting words with crumbs falling from his lips. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of the Bat now that you're the mayor. When you see him, tell him not to disappear like that without telling us. We were getting worried that someone bumped him off..."
Once Bullock left his office, Bruce found himself alone in what was going to be his new base of operations for the next few years. The way Bullock spoke to me...is it possible that he figured out my secret?, Bruce mused as he stepped behind his desk and pressed a small blue button underneath his front drawer. With the sound of quiet whirring buzzing in his ears, Bruce turned to the carpet in the center of the room, which opened to reveal a hidden stairway. Walking over to the stairway, Bruce refocused himself and put his thoughts about Bullock aside. I'll worry about it later: it's not like I won't be keeping the police close to my circle.
Descending down the stairway, Bruce looked at the florescent lights that quickly flashed on as he descended deeper into the pit, watching the entrance of the staircase close behind him to keep the passage hidden. Gordon was right about the previous mayors of Gotham City making the city's problems worse instead of better, which is why as the years passed, Batman had created this passageway so that he could enter the mayor's office undetected and collect evidence needed to put away certain criminals that had been bribing whatever mayor was in office. Now that it was his turn to sit in City Hall, the passage could now work both ways.
Finally reaching the end of the stairs, Bruce's expression became serious as waiting at the base of the stairs were his closest allies in protecting Gotham City. There was Nightwing, his very first Robin that had outgrown the role and was now a great hero in his own right. There was the current Robin, who had done such a magnificent job that he was considered to be the best to take up the role. There was Spoiler, whose eagerness to fight alongside Robin and repent for the sins of her father made her a valuable ally. There was Batgirl, whose quiet personality and dark aura belied a strong sense of justice and loyalty. There was Oracle, who had become an invaluable asset to their mission even though she could no longer actively participate in fights.
And just arriving from the shadows was Azrael, whose hunger for redemption brought him back into their fold and was finally ready to play his part on the team. "I apologize for my tardiness, sir," Azrael bowed his head before pulling down his hood and unmasking, revealing his long blonde hair. "I was just making sure that the Red Hood left Gotham City without any incident. Troia and Arsenal retrieved him and together, the three of them left via jet. I was told they were going to Los Angeles for a mission...but Troia did not tell me when they would return."
"Jason needs to find his own path, Jean-Paul...and I'm proud of you for putting your grudge aside for the sake of the family. Hopefully, there will come a time when he too can stand here with us," Bruce said with a nod before stepping in front of the group of vigilantes and heroes that he had taken under his wing over the years. "Now that everyone is here, I have no doubt that you all have questions for me as to why my activities as Batman have been so limited. When all of this started, the election was nothing but a means to distract Hush until I had the evidence necessary to bring him down...but as the election raged on, I realized that I had unwittingly created an opportunity to take our mission to new heights."
Batman's proteges listened intently as Bruce turned to the large computer monitor behind him. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a remote, Bruce activated the computer screen to reveal layers upon layers of text overlapping various pictures and video clips. At the top of the screen were two words in large bold letters: "Operation Powershift." "Powershift," Spoiler read aloud as the text and pictures continued to appear on the screen. "...I like it. Sounds important."
"Extremely important, Stephanie," Bruce said solemnly as he turned back to face the young men and women that had become as much his children as they could have been without being related by blood. "I've been contemplating what would happen if Bruce Wayne became mayor, what would become of the Batman...and now I finally have an answer. This is the opportunity we've been looking for to gather our resources and deliver the decisive blow needed to subdue our enemy and take the biggest step we've ever taken in completing the mission to end crime in Gotham City."
Pressing another button, Bruce stepped to the side to allow another hidden doorway to open in the floor: this one revealing one of the many Batsuits he had developed in his long career as Batman. As he reached for the costume and prepared to suit up, Bruce pointed to the screen one last time before allowing himself a smile. This was a victory, but it was only the first of many he would need to finally fulfill the vow he made in Crime Alley. "There's work to be done, soldiers...now, more than ever."
Author's Note: Someone once said that every writer has at least one good Batman story in him, and I've wanted to do a Batman story for quite some time. This might sound strange, but the reason I finally pulled the trigger on this one was because I was QUITE dissatisfied with the Dark Knight Returns. Apart from going on forever and dragging its feet much longer than it should have, it was getting to the point where it was no longer a Batman story. The Batman that I became a fan of so long ago wasn't about violence. What drew me to the Batman mythos was the mystery and intrigue of a masked detective utilizing his mind and deductive reasoning to solve crimes that others could not.
Therefore, I set out to create a detective story before an action story, because I think Batman is at his best when he is forced to collect clues and evidence because his fists and intimidation factor cannot solve crimes by themselves. Since there are a lot of things I agree and disagree with throughout the many interpretations of Batman, the universe I created is an amalgam of the comics, cartoons, and video games. Doing so allowed me the freedom to create this story, and I'm glad that I can share this story with you.
I'd like to dedicate this story to EvilYardGnome, who was a big help in the early steps of fanfiction writing back in 2005 with King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. I learned yesterday that she was the victim of a fatal car crash last May, and the news has cut me rather deep with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 coming out within the next couple of days.
With that being said, thanks for tagging along, and be sure to share this story with your friends!
