My thanks, as always, to RebelByrdie for her comments.
Batman & Benson 5
Chapter Fourteen
"There they are," Batman said, as he pointed at a battery of what looked like portable missile launchers on the ridge just above the Robert Kane Dam.
When an emergency alarm went off on the main console, Robin said, "A Stinger missile, Batman! It's headed straight for us!"
"Supergirl," Batman said, tapping the comm unit on the side of his cowl. "Go."
"Gotcha!" she replied.
"Hang on," Batman said to the others, as he sent the Batwing into an emergency dive.
B&B
Supergirl swung out from right behind the Batwing, where she'd been flying in close formation in order to help Batman spring his surprise. She pounced down and punched the Stinger missile before it could even get close to the Batwing. The resulting explosion knocked her backwards for a spell, but it was nothing major--Supergirl even managed to protect her earpiece comm unit by covering it with her hand this time.
Yet no sooner did she stop the Stinger then Supergirl saw the main missile battery open fire twice on the dam.
"Darn it!"
Supergirl dived down as fast as she could after the two missiles. She stopped one of them by using her heat vision to burn out its circuits, causing it to explode in mid-air. Yet the precious seconds she spent doing this allowed the second missile to slam right into the concrete surface of the dam. It hit with an explosion that sent concrete shards flying all over.
"No, no, no," Supergirl pleaded, as she landed on the damaged section. There was a gaping hole that still smoked momentarily from the missile. Supergirl's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw cracks begin to break open from the hole and spread across the surface of the dam. Water began to spray from the cracks.
When a section of the concrete buckled, Supergirl slapped her hands onto it and used all of her might to press it back into place. But as strong as she was, Supergirl was battling the might of a river that continuously pushed against this damaged dam. It was all she could do just to hold everything together.
"Batman," she called in a panic. "Help!"
B&B
Yet before Batman could even respond, the console blurted out another alarm as a second Stinger missile shot up at them. Storm quickly stood up in the back of the Batwing and said, "Allow me!"
Wolverine opened the floor hatch for her and Storm dove straight out into the night.
Robin did a double take at the woman, who was still clad only in the meager prison clothes given to her by Cadmus. "Whoa, wait a minute! She can fly, right?"
"Don't worry, kid," Wolverine said with a grin, as he closed the hatch. "Storm's got it covered."
B&B
"Oh, well, that's just not playing fair," the Joker muttered, as he watched a black woman in a drab outfit dive out the back of the Batwing. She then proceeded to eliminate the second Stinger missile with what looked like a flash of lightning. "Bad enough he's got Supergirl; now there's another super-chick. Lenny, forget it! Get to the car and warm it up for us."
Lenny looked very happy to just drop the Stinger missile launcher and make a run for it through the woods.
"What? Why?" Harlequin said, annoyed. "I thought the fun's just beginning, Mister J!"
"No, my dear," the Joker said, as he grimly watched as the Batwing assaulted the missile battery--which was destroyed instantly as the men who manned it all ran for their lives. "Batman cheated by calling in some of his Super Friends for help. But that will cost him…oh yes, it will. Get to the car, my love. We live to play another day."
When Harley started running towards the car that the Joker had left running--the one with the explosives in the trunk--he reached out and grabbed her arm. "No, not that car, my dearest. I meant the limo. Lenny's got it parked down the road in the bushes."
Harley's eyes grew wide at something just behind the Joker. "Oh, I think it's too late, Joker!"
Joker spun around and saw the Batman was walking towards him, along with a strange-looking man with mutton-chops. 'Mutton-chops?' Joker thought with a smile. 'How very seventies….'
"It's over, Joker," the Batman grimly told him.
"I have only one thing to say to you, Batman," Joker said, putting on a false pretense of annoyance.
"Oh, yeah?" the mutton-chopped man said. "And what would that be, Chuckles?"
"Ka-pow," Joker said softly.
Batman abruptly grabbed the man and began to say, "Wait, watch out for--"
Just then, the Joker pulled out a detonator and pressed the big red button. The running car that was just behind him--the very one that Harley nearly got into--had promptly exploded into a fireball.
As he hunched down against the explosion, the Joker was pleased to see that the shock wave knocked down the Batman and his new pal. But it also had knocked down Harley, who lay flat on her back with a dazed look on her face.
"It's like I always say, Harley," the Joker muttered, as he picked up his girlfriend and slung her over his shoulder. "Always have an exit."
He quickly carried her through the pathway in the foliage to a clearing in the woods, where Lenny sat waiting for them in the limo, which he already had running. Placing Harley on the backseat floor, the Joker sat down in the back seat and said, "Home, James."
Lenny glanced back at him with a disconcerted look. "But, uh, boss, my name isn't--"
He abruptly stopped when the Joker shot him a harsh glare. "Uh…yes, Joker."
As Lenny drove them back to the hideout, the Joker sat and reflected on the evening. All in all, it wasn't too bad--true, he was thwarted in drowning Gotham City's residents like the bunch of rats that they truly were, yet the Joker had still given the town a night it would never forget anytime soon.
'And there's still Eddie,' Joker thought, as his ruby red lips parted into a vicious smile. If Eddie was successful, then the Joker will have still delivered a crushing blow to his mortal enemy, the Batman. The loss should go a long way to shattering the Dark Knight's psyche, making him all the more vulnerable the next time they met.
'And so it begins again,' the Joker thought. They would lay low for a good long while, reloading, and then the Joker would make his move. Last he heard, there was no real crime lord in Gotham City to speak of--at least not since the death of Boss Thorne. That idiot Penguin had made things even easier recently by killing more than half of the remaining mobsters in the city. There was presently a power vacuum within the underworld in Gotham City.
'Since nobody else wants the crime lord job, then I guess I'll take it.' That thought made the Joker smile once more.
Harley sat up and placed a hand on his knee. "Whoa, what a blast…."
The Joker momentarily considered killing her right there and then. It would be very easy to do--just a quick, firm stick with a knife, and then just dump her body on the side of the road. But then the Joker reconsidered; he figured that he would let Harley live, for now. After all, she could prove to be most useful in the coming underworld war, since she was a trained psychiatrist, after. Plus, Harley was so damn easy to manipulate.
"Come here, my sweet," Joker said, assuming the role of the loving boyfriend once more.
She cuddled in his lap and said, "Sorry it didn't work out with the dam, Mister J."
"There's no use crying over spilt milk, Harley-kins--or, in this case, an un-spilt dam," the Joker said. "Besides, it's not completely over. Our little friend Eddie is still out there, ready and waiting to strike."
"Ya think Eddie is up to it, Joker?"
The Joker just grinned at her. "My dear Harley, you should know by now that you should never underestimate the wild card."
B&B
"Stop, please stop," Supergirl pleaded, as she pressed against the crumbling pieces of the dam with all her might. There was an alarm klaxon that sounded on the dam, and Supergirl could hear the panicked shouting of the workers all around her. But she wasn't sure how much they could do. It all rested on her slender shoulders. And the thought of Gotham City being washed away--and it being all her fault--was just too much for Supergirl to bear.
Then Supergirl was startled when she heard a female voice say, "Let it go."
Still holding on, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Storm floating in the air, her snow white hair billowing in the breeze. Barefoot and clad in the gray Cadmus outfit, Storm oddly looked as if she had raced over here directly from an interrupted pajama party.
"Let it go," she told Supergirl once more.
"But the water!" Supergirl said in a panic. As if to emphasize her point, a new jet of water burst forth from the crackling concrete and sprayed her right in the face.
"Supergirl, trust me," Storm said calmly. "Just let go."
Supergirl reluctantly released the shifting plates of concrete, just as Storm raised her hands. Supergirl was stunned to see the black woman's eyes go completely white as the very air around them became chilled enough for frost to come out of their mouths.
When she heard a cracking sound, Supergirl realized what Storm was up to; by chilling the air, she was freezing the exposed water, instantly sealing the cracks in the dam with ice.
Storm lowered her arms, her eyes becoming normal once again, as she let out deep breath. "That should hold it for the time being."
"Can you still see when that happens?" Supergirl asked. "You know, when your eyes go white like that?"
Storm stared at her in shock. "My eyes do that? Really?!"
Supergirl returned her stunned look--until Storm burst into a broad smile. "Gotcha!" she said impishly.
"Oh, man," Supergirl said with a weary grin. "I can't believe I fell for that…."
"It's been a long day," Storm said. "Come on, let's go give the dam's main office the exact location of this break."
B&B
Once the explosion had expended its force, Batman got up from his crouched-down position and immediately scanned the area. When he couldn't see the Joker, he switched to infra-red--only to have that be distorted by the fire from the blown up car.
The Batwing flew over head, and Robin's voice came through on the comm: "Good to see you're all right, Batman. I'll make a sweep of the area and see if I can find him."
"If you see the Joker, Robin, don't engage him in combat," Batman told him. "Leave him to me."
"Got it."
Yet Batman felt a sinking sensation as he watched the Batwing fly off; deep down he knew the Clown Prince Of Crime was already long gone. 'At least we stopped him here….'
When he heard a pained grunt, Batman went over to Wolverine, who was getting to his feet while clutching his side.
"Let me see," Batman said, as he pulled apart the shredded fabric of Wolverine's jacket. He saw a shard of metal that stuck out from the side of Wolverine's torso. "We'll need to get you back to the Batcave, pronto."
"No need," Wolverine said. He gritted his teeth as he pulled the shard of metal out of his side. Batman saw blood pour from the wound--then it stopped as the wound quickly sealed itself up. "See? Good as new."
"You really do heal fast," Batman said. "I envy you."
"You've done all right for yourself," Wolverine said with a grin. He glanced over at the Kane Dam. "Is that thing all right? I thought I saw one of the missiles strike it."
"They stopped the leak," Batman said, as he peered through his binoculars. He handed them to Wolverine. "Both Storm and Supergirl. They just flew up into the dam's main office."
Wolverine nodded when four large doors set within both walls of the valley downriver of the dam opened, releasing a deluge of water--which was still small, compared to the unimaginable fury that was almost released on Gotham City. "Yeah, they just opened the drainage canals, now. That'll ease the pressure on the break."
The Batwing reappeared above, and Robin's voice called on the comm: "Sorry Batman. I swept the entire area, but couldn't find any sign of the Joker. If you want, I can do a broader search of the--"
"That's all right, Robin," Batman told him, with a glance at the approaching dawn in the east. "It's getting late, anyway. We should get back home. Put her down here."
"You got it, Batman."
As they watched the Batwing glide in for a landing a hundred feet away, Wolverine reached out with his hand and said, "Batman, it's been a real pleasure."
"The pleasure was all mine, Wolverine. I just wish I had been more successful tonight."
Wolverine gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right?"
"Both Mr. Freeze and the Joker got away," Batman said, sounding irritated. "It's not normally a good night for me when super villains of that caliber are still on the loose."
"But you still stopped the Joker's main plan, here--which would have been a total disaster had it succeeded. Plus you took down Cadmus," Wolverine reminded him. "All within one night, I might add. Some people would consider that a victory."
"In Gotham City, victories of any sort are usually very hard to come by," Batman said. "But you're right. We did win tonight."
"You gonna celebrate?"
"I'm going to take a much-needed break," Batman told him. "Before the hunt begins again."
"That's the spirit." Wolverine flashed a grin. "Wanna get a beer?"
B&B
"Damn it," Margaret Preen muttered in frustration. The SWAT commander glanced up and down the street, but there was no sign of the last group of fruit loops that she and her team had just given chase to. "Where'd they go?"
"Commander," Sgt. Travers grimly said, as he pointed at something.
Preen let out a curse when she saw the abandoned warehouse across the street. 'If they ran in there, then they are as good as gone,' she thought, annoyed. 'And this was the very last batch of roving lunatics loose in the city to be rounded up, too. Why is it that the last task should always be the hardest?'
Preen ordered the trucks to be brought up and parked by the front gate, which was open. Then she commanded her SWAT team members to surround the warehouse. It appeared that they would have to search the place room by room until all of the crazies were accounted for.
But Preen's preparations were disturbed by the sound of roaring--of actual, honest to God roaring, like that of a ferocious animal--that came from within the warehouse. Whatever the hell it was, it sounded like a monster, a really big one.
Then, she was shocked to see the band of escapees from Arkham Asylum come running for their lives out of the warehouse. Preen and her people were so caught off guard by this sight that the frightened escapees actually ran right past all of them--
--and straight into one of the SWAT vans.
"TAKE US BACK!" one of them screamed, as they all huddled together in sheer terror. "PLEASE, TAKE US BACK, NOW!"
Preen snapped out of her shock long enough to order her people to properly arrest the escapees by cuffing them. The escapees obediently complied, looking very happy to be in custody.
Preen just shook her head at them. "What the hell were they running from?" she wondered.
A wide-eyed Travers pointed at something behind her. "That!"
Preen turned to see a massive green man emerge from the warehouse. Bare-chested, and clad in just pants, he was clearly five times the size of a regular human male, with huge muscles that bulged with every movement he made.
Preen instantly recognized him. It was the Hulk.
Yet before she and her SWAT team could even respond, the Hulk leapt up into the night air. The leap he made caused him to soar clearly over the next two blocks, well out of their sight.
"Where's he going?" Travers nervously asked.
"Wherever the hell he wants to," Preen replied, grateful that she didn't have to deal with that monster. She then glanced at her team with a slight smile. "Well, it's official, kids: I've now finally seen it all in this job!"
B&B
Olivia had just finished changing out of her Huntress outfit and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the changing area when she heard a loud cheer of celebration go up in the Batcave. She stepped out of the changing room and smiled when she saw Alex excitedly come running over to her.
"They did, Liv!" Alex cried, as she and Olivia hugged tightly. "We just got a call from the Batman. They stopped the Joker at the Kane dam!"
"That's great," Olivia replied, as she returned the hug--which felt so good. She never wanted to let Alex go. "Did they catch the Joker?"
Alex's smile faded slightly as she released Olivia. "No. He got away. But you were right, the Joker was going to blow the dam. He managed to fire a missile at it, but Supergirl and Storm prevented any major damage."
"That's great," Olivia said with relief. She glanced down with distain at the drab gray tank top and pants that Alex wore--Olivia hated that outfit; it was a constant reminder of the nightmare that Alex had just been through. "I really wish you'd take that thing off, sweetie. You wear it well, but I hate what it reminds me of."
"Actually, I was thinking maybe you could take it off for me later," Alex said with a wry smile. "When we're alone, in our private suite, upstairs."
"Oh, honey, you read my mind," Olivia said, just before she and Alex shared a passionate kiss. They then went over to the others by the Batcomputer, where Rachel strode up to Olivia and gave her a hug.
"Just wanted to thank you properly for your part in this affair, Olivia," Rachel said. "You went above and beyond the call of duty."
"I just did whatever the Batman told me to do," Olivia said shyly. She felt herself blush at the attention and was grateful that her cell phone rang. Taking it out of her back pocket, Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw who was calling.
"Is it Jim Gordon?" Rachel asked. "I'm surprised he hasn't called you already."
"No, my people at the SVU are covering for me," Olivia tersely explained. She glanced over at Sam and added, "It's a call from Jack Malone."
Sam looked aghast. "What could he be calling about?"
"Let's find out, shall we?" Olivia said, as she answered the call.
"Liv," Jack said. "I'm on the train right now, coming to Gotham City. I'm coming to get Sam."
"Oh, really?" Olivia replied, her tone growing protective. "And what would you want her for, Jack?"
"Liv, relax, it's all over. We got the traitor in our squad. Martin woke up from the coma and fingered him. And I just got a call from Danny--he's told me they've uncovered loads of evidence that showed not only was the traitor working for Cadmus, but that it was Cadmus that ordered the hit on Sam and Martin, as a way of getting you to come to New York City. They were really after you, Liv, and were using Sam to get to you all along."
"Oh, Jesus," Olivia muttered in horror. "Damn, it really looks like Cadmus was taken down just in time, huh?"
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, they were. And good riddance to the bastards! Look, all charges against Sam have been dropped. Martin also completely cleared her of the assault. So, if you should…you know, be seeing Sam anytime soon, that sort of thing…you might want to give her the good news and tell her that I would like to meet with her sometime tomorrow. Ok?"
Olivia nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jack--say, around nine?"
"Sounds great. You can reach me at this number."
"Talk to you then."
When Olivia ended the call, Sam stared at her with a mixture of dread and anger. "He's coming for me, isn't he?" she asked, speaking in a tense, furious tone. "What, Jack's decided to come here and put the cuffs on me himself? As if it wasn't enough that he's my ex-boyfriend, now he's got to come here and--"
"Sam…hey, Sam, easy," Olivia said, as she gently grabbed her arms. "Jack's not coming to arrest you. It's all over, sweetie. Martin woke up from his coma and cleared you. You're no longer a fugitive, Sam."
Sam stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Then her shoulders slumped as a wave of relief swept over her. "Oh, thank God…."
"Wow, that's great news!" Chloe said.
She, Lana, Alex, Barbra and Kitty all swarmed in for a group hug with Sam, who looked oddly sad, despite the joy that surrounded her. Olivia shared a concerned look with Rachel.
"Congratulations, Agent Spade," Alfred told her.
He shook her hand, and Sam held onto it for so long that it became awkward.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Alfred asked with concern.
"I'm just…." Sam said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I just realized that this is the end. I'm going back home, a-and I-I'm gonna miss all of you so much…."
Sam grabbed a surprised Alfred in a hug as she began to cry against his shoulder.
"Oh, Samantha," Alfred said, as he soothed her. "There, there…."
"She's right, you know," Lana said, as her eyes welled up with tears. "I mean, it's great that Cadmus is history, don't get me wrong…but…."
"There's no longer any need for us to be hanging out together now," Chloe said, as she also began to sob. "It's-it's over! Our little anti-crime girl club is disbanded!"
"Oh, gawd!" Barbra said, as both she and Kitty, who clung to each other, began to bawl their eyes out.
'The anti-crime girl club?' Olivia thought, with a slight frown of puzzlement. 'Didn't even know we had our own name!'
She glanced over and saw even Alex had begun to cry as she comforted Lana. Olivia tried to find something to say--something that would calm everybody down, but now even she felt depressed. During the darkest hours of the Cadmus crisis, all of these people--normally, a group of strangers--had all become a very close family, here. And now that it was over, there was really nothing for them to do but go their separate ways. Olivia almost wished that they could all just stay this way, together, forever.
"Oh, not you, too!" Olivia said, when she saw Rachel was wiping away a tear. "Darn it, Rachel, now you're going to get me going!"
"I think I speak for Master Bruce when I say that all of you will continue to be welcome here at Wane Manor," Alfred told them all, as he hugged a tearful Sam with one arm. "Now, and forever."
"He's right," a voice echoed throughout the Batcave.
They all turned to see Batman stood atop the stairs that led to the Batwing hanger. Robin, Storm, Supergirl and Wolverine stood with him. "Just because the crisis is over doesn't mean we stop being friends," Batman told them. "All of you will indeed be welcome here, anytime. Our door will always be open to you."
There was a moment of content silence--which as broken by Alfred, who said, "Why don't we have a proper celebration of our victory with a meal?"
"Great idea, Alfred," Batman said, as he descended the steps. He removed his cowl. "But there's something very important that I need to do, first. Something I've been meaning to do for the longest time…."
"What is it, Bruce?" Olivia asked.
"This," Bruce replied. He grabbed a surprised Rachel and passionately kissed her on the lips.
While Olivia and the others smiled at this loving scene, Wolverine shot them all an annoyed look. "The anti-crime girl club?" he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "What the hell kind of name is that?"
"The guy named Wolverine is making fun of funny names," Supergirl taunted him. "Now that's funny!"
B&B
Nora Fries sat on the edge of her hospital bed, watching the news on the TV. She had been awoken from her sleep by members of the LAPD, who had been sent here in the middle of the night to protect her. They told her that Victor, her husband, was alive and on the loose. The lead detective said they thought she might be at risk. Lucius was with them, and Nora was glad to see his friendly face. The LAPD placed a pair of uniformed cops right outside her door.
Right now, Nora--unable to get back to sleep--sat alone watching the latest about the Cadmus prison that had been uncovered in Indiana. Victor was once locked away deep within its bowels. Yet there was no mention of him now, despite the fact the news anchors kept saying that everyone who had been held captive was released.
Nora slid her feet into slippers and put on a robe. She was being released herself tomorrow, and was returning to Gotham City--yet all she could think about was her husband, the love of her life. She had been told by Lucius that Victor had suffered a terrible accident, one which turned him into an iceman in the literal sense of the word. But she didn't care; all she cared about was his well-being.
'Where are you, Victor?' she anxiously wondered. 'What happened to you?'
Nora paused in her pacing when she had the strange sensation of being watched. She turned and gazed out the windows--
--and received the shock of her life.
A massive white creature hung in front of her windows, staring in right at her. Nora was just about to let out a scream, when the monster abruptly put its hand up in a calming gesture.
Nora's eyes went wide when she saw that, because she had seen that very gesture many times before. Victor would often make that gesture to calm her if he thought she was reacting too hysterically at something. It was a soothing form of shorthand that they'd developed in their relationship--one of many private gestures that they had for just each other.
'But how did this creature--?'
That question died within her mind as Nora took a tentative step towards the monster, which she now saw was covered from head to toe in ice. It raised a hand to the helmet of ice that covered its head and sheared off the front portion, revealing the bare face of a man.
A face that had tears of joy streaming down its cheeks.
A face that Nora instantly recognized.
The creature whom she recognized as being once her husband reached out for her. It placed an icy palm against the glass of the window. He said something--Nora easily read his lips.
He had tenderly spoken her name.
Nora placed her hand on the opposite side of the glass, right on top of his massive, icy palm.
"Victor?" she whispered, stunned.
B&B
'Way to go, Bruce,' Lucius thought with admiration.
He had been on his way back to Nora Fries' hospital room when the television set in the waiting lounge had caught his attention. There were a group of people--both hospital staff and visitors--who stood or sat staring intently at the TV. Lucius saw the news was all about the Cadmus meta prison, and how the Batman had spearheaded the attack against the installation.
He was caught up in one story, the joyous reunion of the Power family, when Lucius was startled out of watching TV by a loud, soul-rendering scream that came from down the hall.
He was further shocked when he realized that he knew the voice that made that scream. It was Nora.
Lucius ran down the hallway as fast as he could, with several nurses and orderlies hot on his tail. When he reached Nora's room, he saw her LAPD bodyguards were already inside, sweeping the room with their guns held out. But Lucius was horrified to see that Nora wasn't there. He was about to call out her name--until the sound of crying had caught his attention.
Lucius walked around the bed and found Nora huddled on the floor, weeping into her hands.
"Nora?" Lucius said, taking the crying woman into his arms. "What is it? What's wrong?"
One of the nurses bent down and did a quick examination. "She seems ok."
"Victor," Nora said, as she continued crying. "Oh, God, Victor…."
"What about him?" Lucius gently asked. "What about Victor, Nora?"
"He's gone," Nora sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. "My Victor is gone…."
One of the cops pointed at the window. "Oh…my…God…"
When Lucius glanced up at the window, what he saw there made his eyes grow wide.
The entire window had been frozen over with ice, except for a thin block of spaces that spelled out a message.
"My Nora," it read, "I will love you always, V."
B&B
"Thank you so much for this, Liv."
"Don't mention it, Sam," Olivia replied, as she pulled into her parking spot at the Gotham City Police Headquarters. She stifled a yawn just after turning the car off. "Excuse me."
Sam smiled at her. "Didn't get much sleep, either, huh? And despite the fact that you and Alex had even went to bed, unlike the rest of us!"
"Hum," Olivia said, as she chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah, well, we still didn't get much sleep."
"Oooo," Sam said with a grin. Then her grin faded as she glanced down at her clothes. "Hey, Liv, how do I look?"
"Sam, you look fine," Olivia told her. "And that's the third time you've asked me that question. Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Yes," she replied, nervously brushing her jacket.
"Because we don't really have to do this right now, if you don't want to," Olivia said. "You didn't get much sleep, either. Like everbody else at Wayne Manor, you've been up the whole night."
"The meal Alfred made for all of us helped," Sam said, as she patted her stomach. "I feel better. I may need to take a nap, later, but I'm good to go right now. I just want to get this over with."
"Are you leaving with Jack right away? Are you going back home today?"
Sam made a face at that idea. "This may sound crazy--especially after everything I've been through--but lately I've come to think of Gotham City as being my home."
"Oh, Sam, are you thinking of staying here?" Olivia asked, surprised.
"I'm thinking about making a fresh start, maybe even leaving the FBI," Sam admitted. "And I figure, Gotham City's as good a place as any."
"That's great, sweetie!" Olivia said, as they got in the elevator and rode it down to the central plaza. "You know what you're going to do for work? Maybe you can tranfer to the FBI office, here."
"I don't know," Sam said thoughtfully. "I'll see how it goes."
"Gotham City PD is always looking for a good detective," Olivia said with a smile. "I'd get you in on the SVU, but my motley crew is already so filled to the gills with more than enough members that Gordon's liable to bust me down to the traffic division if I try and hire somebody else right now. But I'll still be glad to put in a good word for you with Gordon."
"Thanks, Liv," Sam said, as they emerged from the elevator and onto the sprawling floor of the main lobby of Gotham City Police Headquarters. She reached out and affectionately squeezed Olivia's arm. "I mean that. Thanks so much for everything you've done for me."
"Anytime, Sam," Olivia told her. She gestured at Commissioner Gordon, who stood with Jack Malone just ahead of them amid the bustling public hall that served as the lobby for police headquarters--which was right where they'd all agreed to meet. "There they are."
B&B
'There she is!' Eddie thought excitedly.
As he stood in the main lobby of police headquarters, trying to figure out how he could inside the building, he just couldn't believe his luck. Eddie originally thought he would have to somehow infiltrate the building and look through each and every office until he came across Benson. But, instead, she was right there!
He started to giggle maniacally as he strode over to her, the gun in his hand. The Joker will be so proud of him!
As he ran up to Benson, who momentarily stared at him in surprise, Eddie kept giggling wildly as he pointed the gun right at her.
"Die, Batman's Buddy, die!"
To be concluded in the next, and final, chapter.