A/N: And hello all. I loved the reaction to the last chapter. Kudos to LaceNLeather24, Guest, and thejokersbrother for their awesome reviews. To ana, I'm sorry but it has to be done; she will be avenged though!
Now, the funeral of John Munch, which will feature a very non-funny clown. Blows will be traded, people will break down, Penguin will fight our heroes, and someone we all love will die ;)
Disclaimer: Do you see Batman at the 1-6? If not, I own nothing.
Please Review!
Chapter 13: Mourning
"And that's all, thank you," said Elliot, wrapping up the press conference.
"Captain! Captain!" The reporters were like vultures when searching for a story. "Any word on how the Joker will be planning on targeting the mayor?"
"No comment."
"Lt. Benson? Do you have a statement?"
"Like he said, I have no comment," growled Olivia, trying to act nonchalant. Inside though, she was worried. The Mayor; the Joker was going after the Mayor. Olivia was sure that the upping the ante from the morning's video was legit (especially with the killing of Goren and Eames), but never did she expect this. How was the motherfucker going to pull it off?
When she said as much to Elliot, he gave her a nervous laugh as he fastened the buckles on his Kevlar vest. "Don't doubt the Joker Liv. If he wants to kill someone, he'll find a way to do so. We just have to be one step ahead of him."
"Haven't had much success on that so far," she replied, both for MCU and her night job. After sending a text to Bruce about the latest development, she wondered if his meeting with Fox would reveal a lead. They certainly could use one.
Elliot walked over to the entranceway and closed the door to his office quietly, his eyes shifty. Olivia had seen this behavior before, always when he was getting ready to discuss something top secret. "Liv, whatever is said here does not go outside this room, do you understand?" She nodded. "Ok, I have a plan to flush out the Joker…"
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"All by yourself today Mr. Wayne?" asked Lucius Fox, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid so Mr. Fox. There is a funeral for the Police Commissioner today."
Fox nodded his head sadly. "I know, tragic isn't it? I'm certain neither you, Miss Benson, nor I thought any of this would happen. It was said that a battleplan never survives contact with the enemy, and this is a variable we have not figured planning this I'm afraid."
"You always have a good take on events Lucius. Hopefully, what you are about to show me can give us an edge. So what have we've got?"
"Look here," Fox pointed to the screen, adjusting his reading glasses. "I analyzed the bullet samples you gave me. 9mm Parabellum round, very common indeed." The computer displayed a jumbled mess, sort of like a jigsaw puzzle from hell. "It took a while to reconstruct the main round because of the fragmentation; cinderblock does one heck of a number to the jacketed 9mm round. But here we go, a perfect reconstruction." Fox tapped the computer screen in triumph.
"Excellent work, now what about the round recovered at the Joker crime scene?"
"Ah, that was trickier." A second jumbled mess appeared on the screen, this one in far worse condition that the test round. "Most people think ammunition is long lasting. It isn't. Whoever used this was an idiot with regards to proper storage techniques. The round was corroded far beyond the normal amount, making it far more difficult to reconstruct."
"So you weren't able to do it?"
"I didn't say that. I just wanted to tell you how hard it was before I mention that my wife wants you to give me a raise." Fox gave him a wry grin, hoping to charm his way out of the joke.
Smirking, Bruce shook his head slowly. "Take it up with payroll Lucius. Now can you show me the round?"
"Impatient are we? Fine," he tapped a key, rearranging the pieces into a 3D model of a 9mm bullet, revealing a full thumbprint.
"There," said Bruce, clenching his fists in joy now that they finally had a lead. "That's the thumbprint left when he pushed the round into the clip. How well did you recover it?"
"Enough to do a ten point match, which is near gold in a court of law. However, I doubt either you or Miss Benson will involve one now do I?" Fox's smirk faded as he remembered what Stuckey had told him before the whole Joker fiasco started. "Excuse me Mr. Wayne. Did you reassign R&D?"
If Bruce was caught off guard, he didn't show it. "Yes I did. It's a telecommunications project with Israel, for their intelligence network."
"I wasn't aware of any outstanding Wayne Enterprises contracts with the Mossad."
"Look Lucius," said Bruce, not wanting to divulge his plan beyond him and Olivia. "I'm playing this one pretty close to the chest. I trust you with my life and so does Olivia. I want to know if you can trust us with this?"
Not sure of what to make of this, Fox agreed. "Alright; good luck with your ongoing investigation." As Bruce left, Fox wondered if he had made the right call. Bruce had assured him that there was nothing going on and he always had the best intentions. Then again, a lot of the most evil acts in the world had been done with the best intentions. "What have you gotten yourself into Lucius?'
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"Hello; this is Nick Ganzler, live on Grand Street for the funeral of Police Commissioner John Munch. While we all mourn for the dedicated career policeman, the question we are all wondering is whether the Joker will make good on his threat in the Obituary column of the Ledger to assassinate Mayor Garcia, and if he strikes, will the Caped Crusaders or Elliot Stabler's security apparatus stop him? With no word yet from either the Joker or Batman and Batgirl, these cops have to be nervous of the unknown variable, namely whether this threat is real or just another red herring as was the school bombing threat yesterday afternoon."
The procession began with the horse-drawn casket containing the body of John Munch, coffin draped with the flag of the city. Then came the police department official band, playing bagpipes and drums considering the somber occasion. Behind was the main line of Gotham's public officials: Mayor Garcia, Harvey Dent, Alex Cabot, the entire City Council, several federal and state officials, and the like. Behind them were line after line of uniformed GPD brass: fellow officials, Captains, Chiefs, former friends of the commissioner, the works. The entire city had turned out on the sides to salute one of their eccentric heroes; though low key for his entire term, John Much had been in the public spotlight on more than one occasion. His work on the Sara Logan rape case made him a local celebrity, and many came to pay their respects despite the Joker's threat.
Keeping watchful eyes like guard dogs, the men and women of the Major Crimes Unit were angry, and rightfully so. For a tight family like them, losing two from their ranks was a personal insult, and they wanted blood, preferably clown blood. Even with this anger however, they were scared. The Joker was crafty and had escaped the detection nets time and time again. He was like the ever present specter; appearing out of nowhere, delivering a high profile attack, then slinking away while they were still reeling. It was taking a toll on all of them, especially the commanders.
"Is team one in position?" asked Elliot into his radio.
"All clear sir," replied sniper team one, manning the west bank of buildings.
"Team two?"
"We're good, nothing suspicious over."
"Liv, are things clear at the stage?"
"Everything is fine here El. We've got this place locked down tight."
Elliot glanced upward at the sky." Eye in the sky, how 'bout you?"
The helicopter containing two M-249 SAW machine gunners hovered over the skyscrapers of eastern Gotham, scanning the rooftops. "No sign of the clown on the top sir. If he's going to attack, he ain't doing it up here."
"Still, keep your eyes open. Over and out."
The procession continued to the stage in front of city hall, the line of cops turning a left face to face the Rabbi. It had come as quite a shock to Olivia when the first thing in her former Captain's will was to request an Orthodox service. She was sure that the cop and full-time conspiracy theorist was not very religious at all. Well, when you didn't wear your faith on your sleeve (as opposed to highly devout people like Elliot), it was easy to assume you had none.
"Good Afternoon, and welcome," began the Rabbi. "We come here to mourn and honor the passing of John Isaac Munch, who has left this world for the next. Though we here are of many faiths, may I recite the Kaddish of burial." Though not Jewish, Olivia bowed her head in prayer. "Yitgaddal veyitqaddash shmeh rabba…"
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In the temporary Batcave, Bruce and Alfred were hard at work, just like the early days of the Batman before Olivia was in the picture. 'How did I ever survive the loneliness?' Bruce thought. He was convinced that without Liv's support and kind demeanor with regards to him, he'd have cracked a long time ago, a bitter and lonely man holed up in Wayne Manor.
"So while you go on a less concealed fishing expedition, what shall I do Master Wayne?" asked Alfred, sitting at the computer console. He may have been old, but damned if he'd be one of those cliché old people who were unable to operate anything more complex than a typewriter.
"Cross reference the fingerprint found on the bullet with anyone in the DNA database. Focus on criminals with known history of violent crime."
"Any particulars?"
"Narrow the field to people with addresses on Grand Street overlooking the parade." Grabbing his mint condition Harley Davidson motorcycle out of the holding container, Bruce guided it to the elevator, kicking the stand to keep it still."
"I've got one!" yelled Alfred. "Peter Harrison, one of Olivia's old cases from SVU. Convicted of aggravated assault of a woman tourist from Kansas and sentenced to three to six years in Arkham. Address is 158 Randolph Apartments, West Grand Street."
"Thanks Alfred," called out Bruce just as the elevator cut him off from the HQ. Pressing an inconspicuous looking garage door opener, the doors of a shipping container swung open. Straddling the Harley, he kicked it into gear and zoomed out, destination Grand St.
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After the Rabbi finished the Kaddish, he turned the mike over to Munch's close friends and loved ones. Olivia spoke, then Elliot, then Munch's widow, and so on and so forth. They had reached the Mayor when Olivia received a text message. She opened it: Inspecting the Randolph Apartments. Fingerprint matched.
She quickly typed a reply with no one noticing: Be careful; don't go to any of the windows or the snipers will kill you. Olivia then deleted the messages, the advanced scrubbing technology Fox had installed making it disappear forever.
Receiving the text, Bruce turned off the engine and backed the Harley into an alley near the police barricade. Not wanting to be noticed, he pretended like he was supposed to be there, a surefire way of going inconspicuously. Arriving at the entrance to Randolph Apartments, which thankfully wasn't a doorman building, Bruce removed the same device he had used on Olivia's apartment and broke in, leaving no trace for the tenants to suspect anything. It was dangerous traveling without the Batman suit, but in a crowded street in the daytime, being Bruce Wayne was less likely to draw notice.
"Commissioner Munch," began Mayor Garcia, "Dedicated his life to Law Enforcement, and the betterment of society," he said with a fake concerned tone. Olivia rolled her eyes. 'What a blowhard. He doesn't give a shit about Munch, only about his popularity ratings,' she thought, like most inner city politicians. The Mayor continued on with his speech. "I remember when I first took office and asked him if he wanted to stay on as police commissioner, he told me that the only one who could get him out was the CIA, and they'd have to fight him for it." The entire crowd laughed, for that was typical Munch.
"Here we go," whispered Bruce to himself as he reached the right apartment. Twisting the knob through his gloved hands, he found it unlocked surprisingly. Entering, he found five men stripped and tied around a column, mouths taped and eyes covered.
"He was not a man who minced words nor should he have been."
Elliot kept a keen eye on the buildings, knowing the Joker was going to strike. While the clown was unpredictable, his gut was telling him that there would be at least some attempt at the Mayor's life.
"Some of the policies he enacted were controversial, ones that flooded my office with angry calls and letters…"
Bruce bent down next to one of the men, removing his gag but not his blindfold. "Hello? Thank god you're here, whoever you are."
"Who did this to you?" asked Bruce in his Batman voice.
"It was him, the Joker. He took our guns, our uniforms…"
"We must remember that vigilance is the price of safety. Thank you."
With the speeches over, the attention went to the police honor guard. "Honor Guard, attention! Ready; Aim; Fire!" A volley went in the air.
Walking to the window, Bruce found a telescope pointing at the honor guard. "Shit!" His mind made the connection; whipping out his cell phone, he knew he had to warn Liv immediately.
However, an egg timer by the window shade dinged, causing it to rise quickly. A sniper on the other building fired off three quick rounds just as the honor guard did, causing Bruce to back away from the window.
"Ready!" Elliot's eyes were drawn to the leftmost man in the honor guard. "Aim!" He noticed the prominent facial scars on his cheeks. 'The Joker!'
"Fire!" The entire Honor Guard swiveled around, aiming for the Mayor still standing on stage. Just as they fired, Elliot charged and shielded the Mayor with his body. Dropping their guns, the Joker and his men melted into the crowd, except for one whom Olivia took down with a shot to the leg (A/N: She is Badass Benson after all). She then bent down over Elliot's lifeless form. "Oh El, why did it have to be this way?"
As the SWAT teams barreled through the crowd to contain the panic with sporadic gunfire ringing out, Harvey Dent strode to the ambulance, face contorted with anger. He sat in the vehicle, taking in the pale, balding man in front of him. "Tell me what you know about the Joker."
The man smirked, eyes drifting down to his lapel. Harvey grabbed it and took a better look. His name tag read : ALEXANDRA CABOT. Eyes seeing red, he hijacked the vehicle, needing to protect the one he loved.
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"This is the worst part of the job,' thought Olivia as she walked up the steps of Elliot's brownstone. Normally, there would be more than one officer present, but she felt it was better that she go alone. Putting on her best comforting face, she knocked on the door.
"Olivia, nice to see you. Is everything alright?" Kathy's face changed from a smile to a frown. "What happened?"
"It's about Elliot Kath," she replied, watching her friend tear up.
"No. No, this can't be!" Kathy started sobbing uncontrollably, causing Olivia to give her a hug.
"Mom? What's going on?" Olivia looked over Kathy's shoulder to see all four of Elliot's kids standing there. "Oh God dad!" cried out Kathleen as all of them rushed forward to hug their mother, all crying now. Olivia was heartbroken for them.
Hearing a rustling above, Kathy looked up and saw the Batman. "You! This is your fault! You brought this suffering upon us! You did this! You and your partner did this!" Olivia rubbed her back soothingly, ignoring the anguished insults she directed unknowingly at her. The Mob was going to pay for this.
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The nightclub was the perfect place for a Maroni Family date night. It was loud, it was well guarded, and most importantly, Delia owned the place. For Penguin however, it was the worst hell on earth. "Sir," he asked Maroni, "Shouldn't we go someplace where we can talk?"
"What makes you think I want to hear you talk?"
"What?" squawked Penguin, even though he heard every word.
The entire upper level was then drawn to the sounds of a scuffle on either side of the catwalk. Quickly taking in the tactical situation, Penguin knew the Couple in Crime were toast. Batman and Batgirl were converging in the classic envelopment, smashing the Mob between a rock and a hard place. The elite mafia bodyguards were being thrown around like dolls, any blows made not fazing the caped crusaders.
Needing to keep up appearances (though he couldn't have cared less weather his boss received a good B&B drubbing), Penguin sent his goons to deal with Olivia while he leapt into action against Bruce, showing surprising agility for a man of his stature. Shrieking like an eagle, he jabbed his umbrella sword forward, engaging Bruce in furious hand to hand combat.
Olivia, facing four against one odds, smashed one across the face with her nightsticks, shooting another with the stun darts. When the other two lunged at her, she leapt in the air, swinging underneath the catwalk and catching them from behind.
Dodging furious blows that would have defeated any weaker man, Bruce finally got a good shot at Penguin, giving the underboss a right hook to the gut. Stumbling back, Bruce charged but the mobster dove off the catwalk, his umbrella acting like a parachute. Deposited on the dance floor, he waddled out of the club with his mocking "Nuck, Nuck, Nuck," audible over the music.
No guards left, Bruce grabbed Maroni by the scruff of his collar. While Olivia walked to his side. "You don't mind if we borrow your husband Mrs. Maroni?" she said in a sweet yet intimidating growl.
Delia shook her head. "Nope, just bring him back in once piece."
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"Hand me those DD5s," said Alex over the din. The 1-6 was a madhouse, worse than usual. Elliot was dead and Olivia was a no show, likely out with Bruce. Briscoe was running things, but they were short-staffed from the Joker Killings. In addition, Alex was worried about Harvey, who she hadn't seen since the Joker's men crashed the funeral.
The buzzing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. "Hello."
"Alex, thank God you're alright!"
"Harvey, what's going on? Where are you?"
"Where are you?"
"I'm at MCU trying to deal with this mess like you should be." Fin walked in with a stack of files. "Excuse me, can I get the fingerprint analysis please."
"You can't stay Alex, it's not safe."
"Please this is Elliot and Olivia's unit."
"Is Olivia there with you?"
"No but…"
"She's not there and Stabler's gone."
"He vouched for these men…"
"And he's gone." Alex suddenly was scared, knowing Harvey was at least on to something. "The Joker's named you next on his kill list. God is there anyone out there we can trust?"
There was Olivia, but her apartment was in no way secure. That left only one logical choice. "Bruce, we can trust Bruce Wayne."
"No Alex, I now he's your friend but…"
"Trust me Harvey, Bruce's penthouse is now the safest place in the city."
Taking a deep breath, Harvey answered. "Ok Alex, go there now, and tell no one. Stay there until I call you. I love you Alex." He hung up and stuffed the phone in his pocket, taking in the alley that he was now in. Hearing a whimper, he looked at his prisoner, tied up in a chair in front of him. "So friend, let's have a talk."
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"We want the Joker!" growled Bruce, not in the mood for games. "Penguin would be good to, but it's him we want, so talk!"
Smirking, Maroni wasn't scared. "Look my friend," he said smugly, "From one professional to another, if you want to threaten me, pick a better spot. The fall from this height?" He shrugged, "It won't kill me."
Olivia grinned viciously. "Counting on it." Smirking Bruce dropped Maroni off the railing.
Screaming, the Mob boss toppled two floors before impacting feet first on the ground, breaking one leg and spraining to other. Leaping down to join them, Bruce and Liv landed on the pavement, striding over to Maroni who was moaning and clutching his legs. Bruce grabbed him by his collar once more. "Where is he?"
"I don't know," choked Maroni, breathing heavily. "We never did, he found us."
"He must have friends," remarked Olivia.
"Friends? Have you met this guy?"
"Penguin knows where he is!"
"Look lady and gentleman, you are welcome to ask him, but nobodies' going to tell you nothin'. If you want to find him, there's one way out. One of you can take off your mask and end this right now." Bruce released him with a grunt. "Or are you going to let a couple more people die before you make up your mind?"
"Shut up," spat Olivia, kicking Maroni's broken leg, causing him to scream in pain. Bruce however was lost in thought. He had promised Olivia that he wouldn't take the Joker's offer, but if it were to save her and other innocent lives…
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"Ok, let's try this again," growled Harvey, running a hand through his dark, blonde hair in frustration. "Where is the Joker?"
The captured man rocked back and forth in the chair. "Francine needed to be saved. He promised to help me."
His anger getting the best of him, the DA took out a revolver, firing in the air. Harvey pressed the warm barrel to the man's forehead, the hot metal searing his flesh. "You want me to?"
"You wouldn't," mumbled the man in a slight southern accent, maybe Louisiana Bayou.
"Wouldn't I?" he screamed. "You don't think I will huh?" The man just stared into Harvey's eyes, looking like he would pee himself. "You're right, I wouldn't. I'm not like your boss, so that's why I'm not going to leave it up to me." He pulled out his trusty coin, displaying it prominently. "Heads, you keep your head; tails, not so lucky." Tossing it in the air, Harvey watched as it landed straight on his hand, coming up heads.
The henchman smiled nervously, knowing he'd cheated death. "Feeling lucky are we?" smirked Harvey. "Let's go again."
"I don't know anything!" he screamed. "I don't know! Don't kill Francine please, I don't know." He began to sob, whimpering between tears.
"You're not playing the odds friend. Let's go again." Harvey gave him one last look before tossing the coin into the air, readying his arm to catch it.
It tumbled airborne but was caught midair by a gloved, feminine hand. "You'd really leave a man's life to chance?" growled Olivia, looking at Harvey with an angry glare (also known as the Badass Benson).
"Not exactly," replied the DA, knowing his tricks.
"I would pick a better subject if you're going to break the law councilor, rasped Bruce from behind him, throwing a file on the ground at Harvey's feet. "His name's Picard, Saul. He's a paranoid schizophrenic, former patient at Arkham. The kind of mind the Joker attracts. What do you expect to learn from him?"
Simmering, Harvey grabbed the lapel pin with Alex's name on it and ran after the two heroes. "He had this on his jacket," he seethed, handing it to Bruce and Olivia, who both inwardly gasped at the name. "The Joker killed Stabler. I can't let him kill the one I love!"
Realizing what he needed to do, Bruce looked up at Harvey, not making eye contact with Olivia. "You are the symbol of hope we can never be. Your stand against the Gang of Seven is the first legitimate ray of light to shine on Gotham in decades. If this here became public, all the criminals you put away would be released. Elliot Stabler would have died for nothing!" Harvey looked at the ground, knowing the Batman was right; he had let his anger and fear rule him. He knew that Alex would be ashamed. "Tomorrow, you are going to hold a press conference with Lt. Olivia Benson of MCU."
"Why?" asked Harvey and Olivia at the same time, confused.
"I will turn myself in to the entire world; no one else will die because of me." With that he handed Harvey the coin and turned and left. Olivia stood shocked for a moment, then following him to the Tumbler.
"You can't give in!" cried Harvey from behind them. "YOU CAN'T GIVE IN!"
As they reached the Tumbler, Olivia stormed in front of Bruce. "Liv," he called out to her, knowing she was upset. "Liv." He reached out his and to touch her shoulder, causing her to turn her head. Bruce recoiled at the pure venom in her eyes.
"You lied to me," she growled.
A/N: Damn, cliffhanger! What will Liv and Bruce argue about?
That was intense, but there will be some big emotional moments later, including a conversation between Bruce and Alex and Olivia and Alex.
I hope all of you remember Saul Picard from Blinded, for he was the top candidate for the henchman Harvey caught.
Please Review, and stay tuned for another update Wednesday.