Every Hero's Journey:
Chapter 13:
Disclaimer:
I do not own Batman Begins/Dark Knight or any of it's characters.
"So let me repeat this just to clarify things… You walked into your office, realized someone was there, then you found out it was a mob lord who threatened you, but lucky for you, you had planned a meeting with Mr. Fox and your CEO came up behind him knocking him out?" Blake raised his eyebrows.
"That's right." Bruce leaned back in his chair appearing careless. They were in one of the many offices of Wayne Enterprises. Blake recorded Bruce's answer on a notepad.
"Okay… next question. What did he want from you?" Blake was very thorough in his investigation. He went through every single detail before he finally made it to a big question.
"Money, and if I refused the deal I would have the mob to face." Bruce explained his voice even.
"Why you? Out of all of Gotham's elite?" Blake mused thoughtfully and looked at Bruce with a scrutinizing expression.
"I'm not sure, and I can't say that I'm flattered." Bruce chuckled but Blake was taking the threat very seriously. Bruce also added, "We live in Gotham city, things like this happen."
"That may be so, but you are no longer safe." Blake comprised, and Bruce shifted in his seat and decided to make a comprimise.
"I'll tell my security to be tighter." Bruce could see where the cop was going, and he was NOT about to let a cop tail him. It would be harder to go to sleep at night knowing someone was watching, or when he wasn't sleeping, he would have to be extremely careful when getting back from duties.
"Mr. Wayne, I strongly insist we take some precautions." Blake deadpanned, his face never changed, and his voice was backed with steel. He obviously wasn't someone who was used to hearing the word "no" by those who he had jurisdiction over.
"I don't need protection." Bruce said sternly, and added, "I'm convinced that I am safe enough."
"Now that actually wasn't an option. You are a citizen and in the middle of a highly dangerous threat. I think you remember what happened to our Commissioner." Blake persisted stubbornly, and Bruce scoffed.
"And what certainty does that offer me? If they could get Gordon in a room full of police officers, then how could one protect me at all?" Bruce reasoned fixing his unwavering gaze on Blake. Blake was stunned into a momentary silence at the intelligence of the reply. Blake wasn't saying yes or no...
"We'll talk about this later." Blake waved his hand, and Bruce wanted to groan. He knew that Blake hadn't changed his mind. He would send units in any way to have shifts and watches. The last thing he needed was someone watching when he had a job to do every night. He would have to be even more careful.
"Did Czar mention anything more? Anything that might be significant?" Blake probed and changed the subject.
"Armande…" Bruce muttered remembering how they were connected.
"What?" This caught Blake's attention.
"He's working for Armande." Bruce repeated and looked at the cop, and Blake for the second time that night, appeared pleasantly surprised.
"You know that's another crime lord right?" Blake was smug. 'I've known since before you.' Bruce wanted to say. "This is a bigger step forward. Now we can finally get some answers from someone who's connected with the other mob lords." Blake abruptly stood, and shook Bruce's hand. Blake's countenance brightened slightly. "You may go. I have a lot of work to do."
"Sure Blake." Bruce nodded hoping that he forgot to have someone tail him. He swiftly made his way for the exit, never looking back.
"And Wayne…?" Blake stopped Bruce from going through the door. "I'll be talking to the staff of your building about security later." Blake pocketed his notebook and pen. Bruce grimaced but nodded. 'Nothing got past the young Lieutenant', he thought leaving Wayne Enterprises.
Batman joined Blake on the roof of Wayne Enterprises. Blake, as of late, was still trying to catch Batman before he arrived. Batman stood there silently as Blake looked over the edge, waiting to see when he would turn.
"Anything new tonight?" Batman rasped, making Blake jump slightly. He noted how smug it made him every time Blake got startled. One time Blake jumped so badly that he spilled his coffee all over his uniform. Call it a little revenge, for making his night life more difficult, because that's exactly what it was.
"We got Czar, and we currently have him on lock down at the MCU." Blake informed, and Bruce looked on Blake wearily. The man never seemed to learn that the city police were not always reliable.
"Leaving him in the hands of your people? Those cops are corrupt." Batman growled.
"You don't have to give me the whole song and dance about that Batman, my people wouldn't hand him over." Blake stated refusing to believe the truth. "So far the only thing we've heard was that he's working for Armande. It also looks like you and Gordon were right; they are desperate for funds, but Czar acted on his own accord."
"How so?" the Dark knight asked already knowing the answer.
"Well you know Wayne right? Like Bruce Wayne?" Blake asked and Batman nodded. "Well as far as what I've heard, Czar acted out of frustration and impatience. Wayne happened to notice this very well, he pointed out important details. I suppose he's not so much a moron after all." Blake stated flat out and waited for Batman's repsonse.
"And you are going to get Czar to talk? How?" Batman asked trying to keep control of the conversation.
"I don't know, how did Gordon do it with the Joker?" Blake asked looking at Batman.
"We interrogated him, using other means of persuasion." Batman rasped darkly remembering how he slugged the clown for answers. The hands at his sides clamped into fists.
"Well that can't exactly work anymore…" Blake stated, eyeing the vigilante's behavior. "What does he have that he can't live without?"
"Money." Batman said without a seconds hesitation. Blake nodded thoughtfully.
"Exactly, this Wayne guy he has it… What if we could use it to… manipulate Czar?" The gears in Blake's head turned.
"Hold on, you want Wayne to do it?" Batman asked trying to sound skeptical.
"I know everybody thinks he's a complete idiot, I know I do." Blake stood and continued, "But I can't help but think that he knows more than we think."
"What makes you say that?" Batman asked voice level. Maybe he let his alter ego slip one too many times. Blake was more observant than he originally thought.
"He seems to pay attention to detail, and maybe he could pull something off." Blake suggested and looked out to the streets. "Although we need him protected, so harm will not befall on him."
"I'll keep an eye on him." Batman stated hopefully trying to get the cops from tailing him as Bruce Wayne.
"No you won't. I'd like to do things my way." Blake resolved stiffly. Batman merely shook his head in frustration. At this moment Bruce really felt like banging his head against a wall. He was so much more stubborn compared to Gordon. The Commissioner could at least take a hint when it was thrown in his face. Blake just didn't get that Batman had a job to do, and his cops would only slow the dark knight down. Blake just wasn't open for help; he ignored the corruption, and believed that everyone, but Batman, was dependable enough.
"Blake, in order for this all to work, getting the mob and returning the Commissioner, we have to agree sometime or another." Batman growled trying to make the Lieutenant listen to reason.
"Fine, you take the day shifts, and my cops will work at night." Blake turned with a smirk on his face. Batman stared back in annoyance, at how difficult he was making it. Batman finally had met his rival in the battle of wills.
"What do you have in mind with Wayne?" Batman sighed, changing the subject. He knew it was no use to argue with the Lieutenant, he couldn't keep wasting time. For now Blake won, but he would somehow get his way in the end.
"Tomorrow we'll discuss the plan." Blake replied vaguely, not giving much more information than that.
"What are you intending to do?" Batman asked, Blake's stubbornness grating his nerves.
"It's internal business, nothing you need to know. My team can handle it." Blake replied with a disbelieving face. Batman almost rolled his eyes; he would find out the next day anyway, but Blake didn't need to know that. Batman nodded, and turned to face the ledge. There was nothing more he was going to get out of the Lieutenant; all the information he was willing to give was stuff that Bruce already knew.
"Where are you going?" Blake asked.
"Business." Batman bounded over the edge and glided subtly to his bat pod. He needed to see if the computer search was completed, and then prepare for whatever Blake had in store for him.
Before Bruce returned to the penthouse he had to scout all the buildings around it before going in. On the building opposite he found two officers guarding and waiting. That done Bruce went to the bunker and transformed back into Bruce Wayne. He put away the pieces of armor, and the bat pod. He looked at his computer's progress on the files it was checking, and it still had thousands of files to go. He sighed, and proceeded to use the microchip Fox had given him to override the private radars monitoring each bay in Gotham and the monitors that watched the ocean. The screens displayed no commercial boats that were unmarked. Unsurprised by this result, he stood to leave. He suspected they would go below the radar, literally, but sooner or later they would need to ship in more weapons to sell to what remained of criminals in Gotham.
He rode out of the hideout on a motorcycle, and conspicuously parked in the garage below the penthouse building. He had to sneak in, because even billionaire playboys didn't party this late, at six in the morning. If he did get caught his plan would be to seem drunk and intoxicated. Once inside the penthouse he crept to bed when the spying law enforcers weren't looking. He moved the decoy, being a couple of stacked pillows, and slept for the short amount of time he was able to get.
The small speed boat made it quietly to the black outline of a medium sized ship. Two figures climbed the ladder to get on the deck. The two people strode inside the dark hallways. All was silent save the small sounds of grunts and painful crunching noises.
"Where-where's the crew Armande?" Maroni stuttered terrified. He had no idea who Armande was associated with, but they didn't seem the forgiving type.
"What, are you going to wet yourself Maroni?" Armande's eyes rolled, but they kept moving. "They are here with us right now." Armande commented vaguely taking pleasure in the way Maroni looked around suddenly pausing as Armande continued down the dark passageway.
"What is to be done about Czar?" Maroni asked catching up with Armande. Armande's eyes suddenly were alit with anger. They were both angry in finding out how easily their accomplice had fallen into police hands. Being knocked out by a CEO? That was a big joke. Now they were running out of time. The Batman was surely on their tails, and they needed their operation to fasten it's pace.
"Whatever needs to be done to keep history from repeating itself." Armande answered vaguely with a dark intent behind the words.
The gasps of pain that could be heard were louder now. The person that was in the room was putting up a fight not to scream. Armande smiled at this, and Maroni listened. Armande took pleasure in the pain of others who were trying to be brave.
"Is… that the Commissioner in there?" Maroni asked in a murmur, and Armande nodded.
"Yes, that is the very reason we were called here. My accomplice needs a new source of influence to get Gordon to talk. Apparently Gordon is more used to dealing with the League's kind than we originally thought." Armande informed as they stood before the door.
"You're going to talk to the police Commissioner?" Maroni asked in an unsure voice. Armande smiled and looked at Maroni.
"No, you are." Armande turned to leave Maroni who was taken aback.
"What? What do I say?" Maroni hissed stopping Armande from leaving him.
"None of the threats have been working, but the one about his family almost did. We need something along those lines and you have the best poker face. They have been trying to get him to admit the lie on camera, and he's too stubborn to crack. "
"Why do they need it on camera…?" Maroni mused.
"We need him to admit the truth about what happened that night between the Gordon's, Dent, and Batman so that the evidence comes from a reliable source." Armande informed. Maroni did a double take.
"You're not saying you already know the secret do you?" Maroni looked at Armande stunned, and the mob lord merely smiled.
"I've known since the beginning." Armande turned and left Maroni to wait in the dark corridors for his chance to break Gordon.
Gordon felt another blow on his jaw making it crack. Pain shot up. They had broken a couple of his fingers, but luckily he could still move them. They also beat him multiple times in the ribs, but he never gave into crying out or giving the information. If he knew Blake and Batman they would've worked a way to protect his family. Hopefully they had done just that, and all the threats against his family would just be empty. They did seem to be desperate to get him to talk, and he would not give them that satisfaction.
"Tell us Gordon!" A Shadow hissed sending chills up his spine.
"Harvey Dent saved us from Batman." Gordon lied voice calm and even. How much he hated repeating those words. Those words had blinded Gotham. When he lied to the Shadow, though, he didn't feel as guilty. The more times they asked that question the firmer his resolve grew to keep the secret.
"Wrong answer!" The dark figure slammed his fist on Gordon's already bruised hand, and Gordon only winced slightly. His hand had gone numb after all the times it got smashed. "We know he wouldn't do something like that."
"If you know, then why ask?" Gordon said nonchalantly, and with a deadpan expression. He knew he'd recieve another blow for the sarcastic remark, but the League member hesitated before another presence entered.
"Perhaps, because we'd like to hear your side of the story." Another voice echoed off the walls. Gordon saw Maroni enter with a pace like his uncle. Gordon turned back to where the Shadow had been only to see that he was gone.
"Maroni" Gordon acknowledged stiffly. Maroni walked into the room and slightly hesitated. Gordon noticed his hesitation almost smiled; despite the throbbing he felt everywhere. There was no mistaking it; the young man was slightly afraid of him.
"I hear you've been giving my friends some trouble." Maroni was gaining composure as he approached Gordon. "Tell me is it that hard just to say it?"
"Why is it important to hear from my mouth?" Gordon eyed the young mob lord suspiciously. Even if the man was afraid of him, that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.
"I'm the one who is asking the questions Commissioner." Maroni said just as calmly as Gordon. His fear was retreating behind a poker face. "Tell us the truth, and everything can get a whole lot less complicated."
"Look, as I've told you before Dent came in saving us from Batman, and got murdered in the process." Gordon held up a convincing tone, and Maroni let out an unconvinced laugh.
"You're lying." Maroni stated his face hard.
"Am I?" Gordon asked nonchalantly raising an eyebrow. Maroni scowled at Gordon impatiently but his face changed as he came up with an idea.
"Well if we are going to keep up this game, then maybe we should add some players." Maroni smiled darkly and stood to leave.
"Once I get out of this you'll be the one that has lost." The Commissioner threatened, and Maroni's poker face faltered for a brief second, but he recovered and nodded.
"Sure Commissioner." He opened the door and exited, and Gordon was left alone for the time being. He knew things were going to get ugly.
A/N: Hate it or love it? Reviews are definately appreciated, and ideas are welcomed with consideration. Well I decided it was time for a little more clarification on what was going on behind the enemy lines, but who knows? I might have left you more confused. I hope you enjoyed this little bit, and I can't wait to hear from you all! Thank you for reading! I can't go on without your support, so thank you!