Chapter 13: The news conference
Scooby looked on silently as Shaggy and Jason fought it out, neither of them looking like they're interested in throwing in the towel.
Shaggy was able to effortlessly duck or block a number of punches and kicks Jason threw at him, and he was able to launch his own counterattacks, which Jason managed to also block.
"Huh. Not bad for someone who looks quite like the slacker who could use some exercise." Jason remarked as he threw a punch at Shaggy.
"Like, someone's the swingingest gymnast in high school, I see." Shaggy said as he blocked the punch and responded with a kick.
"As a result of me surviving on the f**king streets while my parents were busy." Jason replied as he ducked downward and attempted to knock Shaggy off his feet through a kick swing. "Survival skills that came in handy when I joined Batman's crusade."
"That, I noticed." Shaggy nodded as he jumped and blocked a punch Jason threw at him.
Scooby continued to watch them in awe, and it was clear that the fight between Shaggy and Jason was not going to end at anytime soon.
Meanwhile, over at the Batcomputer, Batman was continuing with the typing when Alfred approached him.
"Something bothering you, Master Bruce?" The butler asked in his British-accented voice.
"If you're asking about the Harewood case, Alfred, then yes." Batman grunted. "Meghan Harewood's work is essential for the victims I managed to rescue from the clutches of Hook Morgan and his ruthless gang of harbour pirates."
"Oh yes, I recalled your rescue of those poor souls who doesn't speak a word of English four weeks ago, Master Bruce." Alfred nodded. "Being lured on their fishing boats on the false promise of a better life in America."
"Indeed, Alfred." Batman nodded grimly. "It was that rescue that prompted me to get to the bottom of this ring, a ring that has ensnared many people of importance in Gotham."
"It was quite the scandal when it turned out that the businessman Jason Spencer Larson was a major financier in the human trafficking ring, Master Bruce." Alfred interjected.
(Note: Hook Morgan, the Robber Baron and J. Spencer Larson are all one-time minor Batman villains the Dark Knight had fought in the classic Batman comics from the early-1940s.
Order of appearance of the said villains:
1. Hook Morgan: Detective Comics Volume 1 Issue 54, first published on Aug., 1941
2. J. Spencer Larson (Aka Larry the Judge): Detective Comics Volume 1 Issue 72, first published on Feb., 1943
3. The Robber Baron: Detective Comics Volume 1 Issue 75, first published on May, 1943)
"Yes indeed, Alfred." Batman nodded again. "And the trail of all of this lead us to Rupert Thorne and his cronies at City Hall."
"Except that none of the people you captured were willing to testify against the crime boss." Alfred interjected as he poured a cup of tea. "All as the string of arrests led to the state of New Jersey to request the federal government to convene a grand jury and investigate this massive human trafficking ring and its ties to Gotham City officials."
"Exactly." Batman said as Alfred handed him the cup of tea. "Throne is very good in dispatching his men to tie up loose ends, and for a while, I had doubts on whether I was able to succeed in bringing down Throne and his gang."
"Until you found Meghan Harewood six days ago." Alfred said as Batman proceeded to drink the cup of tea.
"That's right." Batman nodded. "She was a social worker and civil rights attorney who worked tirelessly for the victims, and she was the one who managed to gather the evidence of police and City Hall's involvement in the human trafficking ring for District Attorney Van Dorn, who was appointed by the State's Attorney General to lead the prosecution in the grand jury."
"Though as things turned out, she was already under Commissioner Pauling's radar when you found her." Alfred interjected.
"Yes." Batman said. "Not long after I ask her to not hesitate to contact me, word got around that she never got home that night."
"Which was then followed by your relentless search for her." Alfred said.
"Exactly." Batman nodded. "Five days of dead ends until tonight when the break for the case came, only for a group of meddling kids visiting from Coolsville to rent the wrong vehicle at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"And what prompted you to go rescue our two visitors here, Master Bruce?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.
"One of them is the son of Deputy Chief Sam Rogers of the Coolsville Police Department, and Radley had told me about how Rogers comforted him that fateful night when his parents were..." Batman replied as he finally turned to Alfred, taking off his cowl as he did so. "And seeing how much Rogers has been trying to fix things there the same way Jim has before getting ousted by Mayor Hill last year, I felt that I owe it to the deputy chief to make sure that his son and their dog doesn't end up in those inhumane jail cells of the 30th Precinct."
"I'm certain that it was a difficult decision for you to make, Master Bruce." Alfred nodded.
"Tell me about it." Bruce nodded.
There was some more silence between the two men after the conversation, and the Bruce sighed.
"You've got something else on your mind, Master Bruce." Alfred said.
"What made you say that, Alfred?" Bruce asked innocently.
"If I can't read your facial expressions, how is it that you came to become the World's Greatest Detective, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.
Bruce paused for a brief moment before nodding. "Point taken."
"So what's in your mind at the moment, Master Bruce?" Alfred pressed gently.
Another pause went by before Bruce finally replied, "Jason."
"You were worrying about him this whole summer, is that it, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked. "Ever since you received his report card this past June."
"Yes." Bruce nodded. "Jason...I really think he has great potential. He can be a handful, but he really has great potential. It's his mindset that I'm worried about."
"He's no Master Richard, I take it." Alfred interjected.
"That's right." Bruce nodded again. "Jason keeps up his endurance through his rage, which has been a major factor in his productivity as Robin. I've always hoped that he will eventually learn to channel his rage, but four years in since we've taken him under our wing, while he has been showing improvement, I still see signs that there's more work to be done."
"I understand." Alfred nodded sympathetically. "And in a few weeks, Master Jason is to start his final year in high school. I sure can't believe how much time flies, just like the time we spent with Master Richard since his parents were killed in their ill-fated circus act 13 years ago."
"Tell me about it." Bruce agreed. "I still worry about how Dick is doing, long after he's moved out to attend Hudson College five years back, and his preference to spend more time with his operations in Blüdhaven reminds me that there are some things I'd wish I had done differently while bringing him up."
"Of course, sir." Alfred nodded again.
Before he could continue, a breaking news report popped up on the interface screen of the Batcomputer and WGOB news anchor Jack Ryder showed up on view.
Bruce's eyes narrowed when he read the text accompanying the breaking news report, and he immediately stood up after pausing the news feed.
Back in the gym, Jason and Shaggy were still busy hitting it out and are showing no signs of backing down or throwing in the towel.
"I guess I really underestimated you, Shaggy." Jason taunted. "I thought you and your dog don't exercise a lot, and to think you guys have such large appetites."
"Like, all the running around while being chased by a ghost or spook during a mystery will do the job in shredding all the excess weight." Shaggy smirked.
"So I've heard." Jason nodded.
The two boys were so absorbed in their match that they didn't notice Bruce arriving at the doorway.
Bruce didn't expect to see Shaggy and Jason taking part in a karate match of their own in the gym, especially given the fact that he was half-expecting their visitors to be raiding the Wayne Manor kitchen.
Instead, the sound of the grunting in the gym caught his attention and led him to Shaggy and Jason's little match.
Just as Jason was about to land a kick on Shaggy, Bruce cleared his throat.
Both boys stopped in their tracks before turning towards the doorway, but not before Jason got knocked off his feet by Shaggy.
"You need something, Mr. Wayne?" Shaggy asked as Jason got up and rubbed himself.
"There's something on the news I believe you boys are going to need to see right now." Bruce replied in his usual serious tone.
Shaggy, Scooby and Jason shared a look with each other before shrugging and they followed Bruce out of the gym and to the Batcomputer.
Back on the streets, Fred and the girls managed to find a good neighbourhood to spend the rest of the night.
The van was parked in a hidden dark area under a railway bridge in the neighbourhood, and the trio tried to spend the rest of the night getting the rest they need.
However, the memories from the day's events remained fresh in their minds, and no matter how much they all tossed and turned, they find themselves unable to sleep much even though they were completely worn out.
Daphne in particular has been worried during the whole night about her father George.
She has been trying to phone her father since she saw that she had missed several calls from him, but their location in the city made it difficult for her to receive a signal for her cell phone.
She sighed again as she looked towards the nighttime skyline of Gotham City.
In that same time, back at the 30th Precinct of the Gotham City Police Department, the fallout over the loss of Shaggy and Scooby quickly lead to the arresting officers determining that Batman may have played a role in aiding the prisoners' escape.
"That meddling Bat just has to butt in on our prisoner transport, eh?" The desk sergeant remarked after the two officers told him the story.
"Tell me about it." The first officer that was involved in the transport nodded. "Sometimes, I wonder why the h*ll does Gordon support a guy like him."
"Because he's Gordon." The second officer sneered. "Brought in from Chicago, he never played by the rules and only plays by his rules. Even staged that coup that ousted Loeb back in '98."
As the two officers continued with their discussion, two of the precinct's detectives, upon entering the station, shoved a suspect to the booking desk.
While the desk sergeant worked to have the suspect booked in one of the cells, the first detective said to the sergeant, "Make sure he wipes his a** and gets a new pair of pants when you have him locked up in the dunk tank, Doug."
"A new pair of pants?" The second officer asked as he turned to the two detectives.
"Oh, you guys should've seen this guy when we busted him on a deuce." The second detective said. "He clearly has been drinking more than he should have, and he was bustin' up the place when we arrived."
"Took us five minutes before we were able to get him onto the car, but when we did, he began to go crazy and next thing you know, he s**t himself." The first detective added.
"Did he?" The first officer asked.
"Yeah." The second detective nodded. "The whole car smelled like h*ll on the way back here."
"J**us." The second officer remarked. "Looks like you guys are gonna need someone to clean that s**t up."
Before the others could comment on the matter, one of the officers in the station rushed over to them.
"Sarge, Alec, Roy, you guys may wanna check this out." The officer said as he gestured towards the flat screen television in the squad room. "It's to do with that Harewood b**bo."
The trio at the front desk shared a look with each other as they arched their eyebrows, then they proceeded to follow the officer into the squad room.
Back in his hotel room, even though it was late at night, George couldn't sleep at all and was getting more anxious by the minute.
Upon figuring out that Daphne might be in trouble and the fact that he had forgotten to check in on her the whole day, George spent the next several hours frantically trying to call Daphne.
Unfortunately, he was not able to successfully call Daphne due to lack of signals for her phone, which meant his calls were not able to go through when he tried to call Daphne.
As George pondered on what to do next, his phone rang.
Noting that the caller is "Unknown", he sighed before answering it, hoping that it was Daphne calling him through a payphone.
"Hello?" George answered.
"George, it's me." A familiar voice replied on the other end.
"Bruce?" George asked. "What's up? Where are you?"
"At home." Bruce replied on the other end. "You better turn on the news right now."
"Why? Does it have anything to do with Daphne?" George asked.
"Just do it." Bruce said.
With a sigh, George paused his phone call as he reached over to turn on the television, which was already tuned to the WGOB news channel.
Back in Coolsville, Deputy Chief Sam Rogers was still at Coolsville Central processing the information Gosnell had given him earlier that evening.
Of course, he wasn't worried about Shaggy and Scooby running afoul of the law, namely assisting a wanted fugitive, as he knew they would never do such a thing, not to mention that he knew how corrupt the Gotham City police is.
What worried him is the inhumane cell conditions at Gotham City station houses, which Gosnell told him is where exactly Shaggy and Scooby are heading for hours ago.
He knew that even with everything he had taught Shaggy and Scooby, he is certain that they won't last very long in those inhumane prison conditions while in police custody.
As Sam sighed and drummed his fingers on his desk, a familiar voice distracted him from his thoughts.
"You're keeping late hours, Deputy Chief." The voice said, and Sam paused and swirled around, looking straight at the extra computer screen on his desk that is none other than Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, in disguise.
"You should talk, Dog Wonder." Sam said. "How's the Falcon doing?"
"Diving deep in assignment in the city's underworld, he's doing alright." Dynomutt replied. "However, there's some information he gathered that I believe you wanna get your hands onto."
"What kind of information?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
From the stand of which the "extra computer screen" was standing on, a stand that turned out to be Dynomutt's main body, the cyborg hound produced a thick file folder.
"Information straight from Gotham City that has implications reaching into City Hall and Coolsville Central, Deputy Chief." Dynomutt replied as Sam took the folder and opened it.
"Does it concern my son Norville?" Sam asked. "Does BF know if Norville's alright?"
"Not that I'm aware of, though there's breaking news out from Gotham City right this moment that I believe concerns his friends." Dynomutt replied.
"Breaking news?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"See for yourself." Dynomutt said as he shifted into the shape of a larger television screen, where he then tuned in to the WGOB news channel.
"Breaking news this hour." Jack Ryder announced. "Police Commissioner Peter Pauling is at the front of Gotham Central speaking to reporters on an update in the search for the notable civil rights attorney Meghan Harewood ever since she disappeared while on her way home six days ago."
The scene then cut to the press conference at Gotham Central, where reporters were gathered in front of the police commissioner.
Watching the news from his office, Sam narrowed his eyes as he recognized Pauling, GCPD's Chief of Department Jeffrey Kushner and Chief of Detectives, First Assistant Chief Paul Manning.
Sam never liked the three men that are on the news at this moment. His contact James Gordon never had anything positive to say for them, nor does Gordon's contact, and Sam himself had a history with the latter two men.
For Manning, Sam's history with him dates back to when they were both serving in Operation Desert Storm back in 1990, where Manning was a fellow Marine Corps captain attached to the I Marine Expenditure Force.
Sam never liked Manning and found him to be reckless.
As a matter a fact, he had long suspected that Manning was involved in an unsanctioned, ill-fated mission in Iraq during the war that resulted in the deaths of countless civilians caught in the crossfire.
However, there was little evidence to support his suspicions and he was later discharged from the Marines not long after returning home from the war.
As for Kushner, Sam knew the man back when they were both assigned to the 18th Precinct of the NYPD before Kushner got transferred to Gotham City in 1998 as a lieutenant.
One thing to note is that during their time together in New York, Sam never trusted Kushner in handling investigations and has long suspected the man to be dirty.
It took the unfortunate shooting death of an officer involved in a drug takedown undertaken by both Sam and Kushner during a case before Internal Affairs finally heeded Sam's complaints and opened an investigation in Kushner's conduct.
It was that Internal Affairs investigation that led to Kushner getting transferred to Gotham City in 1998, though it was a decision Sam harshly criticized.
Sam shook his head as he looked at the three men on the screen.
"It is unfortunate that I have to inform the citizens of Gotham City that Meghan Harewood has been killed shortly after officers responded to reports of her kidnappers transporting her to a safer hideout and attempted to take down the kidnappers in the process." Pauling announced. "However, her kidnappers were relentless in making sure that she doesn't see the light of the day and drove off, though police was able to capture two of the kidnappers involved."
The screen then showcased a couple of photos of Shaggy and Scooby being taken down by officers, causing Sam to stand up in disbelief.
Over at the Batcave, Bruce, Alfred, Jason, Shaggy and Scooby all watched the newscast with the latter three showing surprise on their faces.
"However, while en route to be taken into custody at the 30th Precinct, the two kidnappers, who we've learned to be a Norville Rogers and his dog Scooby Doo, disappeared from the prisoner transport." Pauling continued. "A disappearance which we attribute to Batman, who is an outlaw that needs to be captured and brought to justice as you all know."
Watching the newscast in his hotel room, George narrowed his eyes.
"In addition, the Major Crimes Unit has learned the names of the other three kidnappers involved in the murder." Pauling continued. "They're Frederick Jones, Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley, who, together with their partners in crime Norville Rogers and Scooby Doo, calls themselves Mystery Inc. and has been responsible for hampering police investigative efforts in their hometown of Coolsville."
"You've gotta be freakin' kidding me." Sam thought to himself as he resisted the urge to do a facepalm.
"He's can't be serious, can he?" Jason gestured to the screen as he turned to Bruce and Alfred in the Batcave.
"According to our sources and contacts from Coolsville, it is highly likely that following a mix-up at the car rentals at the Gotham City Airport yesterday, these meddling kids from Coolsville got a van that had Meghan Harewood tied up in the back and, upon learning of what she's doing, being the meddling kids they are, kidnapped her in order to prevent her from testifying in a federal grand jury that will certainly implicate names from Coolsville." Pauling continued.
At that remark, Sam then looked at the folder Dynomutt handed him earlier.
"And just this past hour, officers at the 93rd Precinct discovered Meghan Harewood's body dumped in an underground parking garage at Park Row while searching for the fugitives." Pauling added. "So right now, the department's doubling down on its efforts to capture those meddling kids, who will swiftly be facing justice once they're apprehended, as well as Batman, whose been obviously aiding those meddling kids in their scheme."
And then, as the reporters began throwing questions at the police commissioner, Pauling then concluded, "That is all."
As the police commissioner began taking questions, Sam, George and the Bat Family simultaneously muted the volume of the newscast, with the former two turning off the television in the same time.
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