Gotham City Police Department

Police Report

Date: Friday, December 24, 1999

Time: 02:23

"Now here's a funny question. Why is it whenever something happens to Umbrella you are always in the area on patrol?"

Leon turned his face so that Detective Bullock was no longer spitting on it. After arriving at the scene of the murder and choking a fellow police officer, he had returned to the police station to fill out the paperwork. He had almost finished when Bullock ordered him into the interrogation room. The moment Leon stepped inside Bullock had started hounding him about Umbrella. For the first few minutes Leon suspected that Montoya and Bullock were attempting the good cop, bad cop routine. However time passed and the 'good cop' did not appear. The fear that had gripped him the last time he had been in the room also missing. Leon suspected it had something to do with the fact that he was still holding his Glock even as Bullock shouted at him. Bullock, naturally, did not agree with the situation but Leon refused to be unarmed. He wasn't looking forward to facing another licker but oddly enough, once the anger had died down, he felt almost at peace. Maybe it was the realization that he was not insanely paranoid and Umbrella was evil. Or maybe it was the survival instincts that got him through Raccoon City kicking in. Somewhere in Raccoon City, his brain had learned that it was better to panic after the crisis rather than during it. Unfortunately, that lesson had caused him to nearly have a mental breakdown once he and Sherry were picked up by the army but he had survived. Now he was using that lesson again. The only problem was the fear was being replaced with numbness or anger.

"Listen, rookie!" Bullock glared at him as the detective took a bite of a donut. Clods of food flew from the man's mouth as he continued to talk. "We know you are from Raccoon City so you might as well come clean!"

About what? Leon thought. He was tempted to repeat the thought aloud but knew that was stupid. His silence was already annoying Bullock. Anything more and Bullock might snap. The detective's face was slowly turning red. However, the younger officer had no intentions of lying about Raccoon City.

Bullock leaned over the table again and pointed a large finger in Leon's face. "Don't be so cocky. We'll find that knife or meat grinder or whatever your raccoon pals used on Monroe and then we'll see who's laughing."

It wasn't a knife.

"What was that?" Bullock's eyes narrowed more and a wolf like grin appeared on his face as Leon's eyes widened. "Didn't mean to say that out loud, huh, rookie?" Bullock took another bite of his donut. "You can either repeat yourself or I'll get the recording."

Damn. His grip on his weapon tightened. He hadn't realized they were recording but then this was Gotham. Constitutional rights were often subject to change when officers were dealing with corruption on a grand scale. He was careful to avoid accidently pulling the trigger on the handgun as he clenched his fists. The government still had Sherry. He didn't understand why they wanted to protect Umbrella but most likely it had to do with the economy. If he said anything and they found out, the feds wouldn't guarantee her safety. They might even hand her over to Umbrella for testing. Leon glanced at the magic mirror. He could hope the mike hadn't picked up his words but that would just make Bullock more likely to boast when— if it did.

Fat detective or the government, he thought.

There was a knock on the door and the men looked over as Montoya entered the room. "Show's over." She threw a folder down onto the desk. "A group of teens found the body of our assassin. The docs confirmed it."

Bullock glared at her as he opened the folder. He swore when he saw the contents. "What the hell is that thing?"

Montoya frowned as she took the file from Bullock. As she placed the file on the table, a photo peeked out. It was a picture of a back alley and lying in the middle was a body that barely looked human.

Leon looked back at Montoya and she nodded to the door. "Get back on patrol and this time, don't clock anyone."

He nodded before making his way to the door. Outside the room, he paused to let a group of men carry a desk down the hallway and his mind drifted. If Umbrella was willing to use a licker to kill him, the man named Monroe must have done or threatened to do something. Did it involve the B-virus or was it related to one of Umbrella's past sins? Leon was also a bit surprised that Montoya hadn't shown him the photos and asked him if he recognized it. Bullock seemed convinced that Leon was part of the extremists but Leon was no longer sure what Montoya believed. It was possible Walker had warned her not to show him anymore photos but Leon hoped that the woman had decided he was innocent until the evidence proved otherwise. Unfortunately, that evidence might be readily available when they checked the recording. The two detectives would wonder how he knew it wasn't a knife that had killed Monroe and then he'd be back on their most wanted list.

The men passed and Leon moved forward. As he walked back towards the common area, he saw the door was open to the room where the equipment that recorded the interrogations was. He looked around before stepping inside and closing the door. Although he had never seen the equipment before, he saw a play button and a rewind button. He rewound the tape already in the machine for two seconds and pressed play. Voices tumbled from the speakers but none of them matched his or the rude detective. A smile came to Leon's face as he turned and left the room. He wasn't foolish enough to believe Bullock would forget his reaction to being recorded but at least the fat detective would not have any evidence to place before Montoya. For the moment, he and Sherry were safe and he had a patrol to return to.

Gotham City Police Department

Police Report

Date: Friday, December 24, 1999

Time: 09:49

"Hello?"

Finally, someone answered the phone Bruce thought as he started to channel his inner Clark Kent. He had been on the phone for what felt like hours trying all the Kennedy's old neighbours. The Kennedy's had lived right by an apartment complex which meant there were many people to call. Thankfully, they had only owed the one house while Leon was growing up so it made it more likely someone living nearby for any length of time would know the family well. As Bruce expected though, most of the neighbours who had been living in Raccoon City a year ago did not have new numbers, suggesting they had not survived the incident. Of the some who had new numbers in other cities, a few lacked voicemail and none were home. He had been about to give up when the lovely, senior sounding lady answered the phone.

"Hello. Is Mrs. Thompson in?" Bruce asked.

There was the sound of children's laughter in the background and the voice which spoke into the phone was old but still had the authority she had once wielded as a teacher. "Speaking."

Bruce made sure to pinch his nose tightly. He could have placed a cloth over the receiver but that would have caused his voice to sound haunting. Pinching his nose was a low-tech alternative to using a computer to change his voice and also had a friendlier sound. "You may not remember me but-"

"My dear Benny! My, it's been ages. How are you? Abby said you had returned to Raccoon City. You remember Abby, don't you? You had such a crush on her. Are you still going around publishing other children's misdeeds in the school paper?"

This was going to be fun, Bruce thought. Hopefully, he would be able to get a word in edgewise at some point.

"I've moved on to adults, Mrs. Thompson. Someone has to get the word out."

"Ah. You sound so much like Leon. I don't suppose you remember him? No. You were a year ahead. Such a determined boy. He's an officer, you know. Working in Gotham City even. I saw in the paper he saved a little girl fairly recently. It's funny how one's character defines their path in life. Look at you. Reporting misdeeds when you were seven and reporting on big misdeeds now. What paper do you work for?"

Something crashed in the background. To Bruce, it sounded like someone had dropped a plate. Probably a child by the sound of the woman's lecture.

"Sorry about that," Mrs. Thompson said. "Little Robin is always trying to fix things. He'll probably be a mechanic when he grows up. Now what was I saying?"

"How a child's character chose their career. You started to mention Leon's. Is that Leon Kennedy?"

"Oh that boy." The ex-teacher laughed. "Always getting into trouble. His heart was always in the right place but really! The luck that boy had. Do you recall the firetruck incident? He almost gave me a heart attack but then he shows up covered in soot saying that the library fire doors had locked in him inside the school. How his parents dealt with him."

Mrs. Thompson paused for breath and Bruce jumped in once again. "Didn't he start the fire though?"

"Leon!" The teacher gasped. "Heavens no! Who spread that lie? Really Benny, you need to check your sources. Leon may have made some questionable choices (really, that time he took on a boy twice his size) but his actions always withstood the right test. Though I do wonder how he got into so much trouble. It follows him like a puppy. With his luck and character, I would have expected him to be a secret agent rather than a police officer. Elliot was a police officer. I hear he's fallen on bad times now."

"Sounds like Leon might have some interesting stories," Bruce paused and added, "I'm doing a piece for a RC school reunion, do you have a contact for him?"

The lady paused. "To be honest, I had quite lost track of most of my other students who lived in Raccoon City. All that commotion with the city burning in a forest fire."

"Maybe his parents?" Bruce pressed.

Mrs. Thompson sighed unhappily. "Sadly, his parents have been dead for years. A lovely couple though I know Leon tried his father's patience."

A loud crash caused Bruce to pull the phone away from his ear. Mrs. Thompson's muffled voice came through the phone as though she has put it down or covered the phone's receiver. "No! Tommy! Stop chasing the cat!" Her voice returned to normal volume as she said. "I'm sorry, Benny but I must really go. Children to teach and all that. Do call another time though. It's so nice to reminisce. Ta-ta."

As Bruce placed the phone down, he mused over what he had learned. Leon seemed like honest cop material. The older woman had no reason to lie. And yet. Bruce turned in his chair to look at the family photo he had found of the Kennedys. It had been printed in a newspaper to celebrate someone's birthday. Leon barely looked five in the photo and he was trying to pull away from his father who had a tight grip on his shoulder. The man's smile was forced most likely because he was trying to control his son. Leon's mother smiled sweetly at the camera. The caption read, 'Good luck keeping him on a leash. Happy Birthday.'

Gotham City Police Department

Police Report

Date: Friday, December 24, 1999

Time: 19:32

"What is your problem?"

Leon cringed when he heard Flynn's voice and felt her hand on his shoulder. He had been about to go up to the landing in hopes of contacting the Batman to warn him about the lickers. Unfortunately, Flynn caught him before he could get there. He had been avoiding her and Walker since yesterday when he had snapped. He had been successful for the most part but then Flynn had caught onto his method of ducking behind any available cover to hide. She cornered him in the parking lot for the cruisers just as he and his partner were returning to file paperwork for a prisoner drop off. His partner didn't even wait for him or come to his defense as Flynn started shouting.

"You can be charged for police brutality even if the guy is an officer and deserves it!"

Seeing that he had no escape, Leon sighed and tried to think of some way to appease Flynn. He still had no clue why he had reacted like he did. At the time, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it was highly unlikely that Flynn would buy that excuse. It was also highly unlikely she would be appeased by any apologizes or promises. Rather than waste time, he crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped she wouldn't be too annoyed by him changing the subject.

"Gaspari is in league with Umbrella."

Her response was not comforting. "So?" she said, her face turning red and causing Leon to take a few steps back. "Half the city is in Gaspari's pocket. Who cares if he is laundering money to Umbrella?"

Leon opened his mouth to reply and then closed it. Flynn isn't a Raccoon City Survivor, he recalled. She has no idea Umbrella is responsible for the incident. His mind started to race as he struggled to think of a way to justify why the connection was important.

"Kennedy?" He and Flynn looked towards the door the station. Standing there was Commissioner Gordon. The older man was shivering in his coat. "Do you mind coming into my office?"

Leon hesitated long enough to glance in Flynn's direction. She was glaring at him and he still didn't have an excuse or an explanation. Rather than risk her exploding at him, he nodded and followed Commissioner Gordon into the station. Even though it was Christmas Eve, the station was still busy. Unfortunately, not even crime rested on Christmas holidays. He followed Gordon through the mess until they reached the man's office. Gordon pushed open the door and Leon followed him inside. Sitting at the chair behind the desk was a man Leon had never seen before. He wore an open winter coat which revealed a black shirt and a Christmas tie with reindeer underneath. The man stood and held out his hand.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Kennedy," the man said with a smile. "I'm from the CIA. I've been wanting to speak to you."

Leon nodded and muttered a reply as he shook the man's hand. He glanced at Commissioner Gordon but knew the older man wasn't going to be able to offer the sort of explanation he needed. Nevertheless, Gordon tried.

"Blair is a recruiter for the CIA. He's been stealing officers and detectives off me for years. When he heard of your service record and other… credentials, he wanted to meet you."

Blair smiled and motioned to a chair. "I realize this is a bit of a shock, Mr. Kennedy. Maybe if we sit and talk for a moment this will make more sense."

Leon nodded and sat down in the chair indicated by Blair. The man smiled again and Gordon made some excuse for leaving. The two men were then left alone in the commissioner's office.

"We were impressed with how you handled yourself against some of Gotham's villains," Blair said. "Not many seasoned officers— let alone rookies— manage to hold their own and arrest three of Gotham's most wanted and dangerous." Blair held up three fingers as if the number needed more emphasis.

"I've been lucky," Leon replied as his mind scrambled. Why is the service trying to hire me again? he wondered as he studied Blair.

Blair didn't seem like the original recruiter who had brought him to Gotham in the first place. The CIA man seemed friendly and open. If Leon didn't know better, he'd think he was speaking with a friendly uncle. The man who sent him to Gotham was unsmiling and just having the man look at Leon caused him to want to punch the man's lights out. The fact that he basically forced Leon into joining the service by using Sherry as leverage helped contribute to that feeling. After getting Leon to agree, the man had then said, "We'll need some confirmation of your abilities before you start training though."

"What sort of confirmation?" Leon had replied.

The man smirked. "Just a small test. You are familiar with Gotham City, aren't you?"

Leon had nodded, a cold sensation appearing in his chest. Even at the time, he had been well aware of Gotham's reputation. It was not possible to be born in North America and not know of the city's problems.

"Good. You will be hired by the police force. After a few months of work, we will have confirmation."

If I survive you mean, Leon had thought.

Days later Leon found himself receiving a phone call from a Gotham City police recruiter and he was on the force. Unfortunately, it required undergoing more training at Gotham's police academy which appeared to be a waste of a year. The academy was overrun by bureaucratic policies and useless exercises which were used to make it appear that the GCPD were better trained than the average police officer. During the training, it appeared his chances of surviving Gotham were slight and Leon developed the sneaking suspicion he was sent to Gotham to die. He tried to reason away his suspicions. No one could profit from his death, he told himself. It worked for a while. Then his suspicion returned when he learned of the Umbrella branch in Gotham until he reminded himself that the US government had hired him. Besides, the government wouldn't be waste valuable resources including money to send him to die. It probably wasn't cheap to bride the police force and the academy to accept him. Also, he was of more use to them alive.

At the end of his 'training', Leon was able to join the force. In time, he forgot his suspicions due to the need to focus on his job and stay alive. As he sat across from Blair, he was forced to reconsider his qualms. The government would not make the mistake of sending two different recruiters to speak to him when he already agreed to join the service. Unless the first man was from another agency not connected to the CIA. An agency more secret and deadly. However, it was unlikely a service would be in Raccoon City during the disaster so he was forced to believe the man he had spoken to outside Raccoon City was not from the government. He had heard from Claire that Umbrella had apparently sent their own army into Raccoon City in an attempt to either help survivors or collect battle data on the B.O.W's. It didn't occur to him until he was in the officer with Blair that maybe he and Sherry had been picked up by Umbrella's army. As he reflected on the facts, he realized there were no other options.

The cold feeling returned to his chest. He had walked right into the trap. Unfortunately, so had Sherry. Leon tried to ignore the chill and twisting of his gut. He had been sent to die and nearly had on multiple occasions but what was worse was that he had handed Sherry over to the people who helped send her father and mother to their deaths.

Leon pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at Blair. "I'm guessing you didn't come down here just to meet me."

Blair nodded, his face still retaining his smile. He didn't seem aware of Leon's distrust. "You are correct. Surviving Raccoon City is reason enough for the service to want you but you also have proved yourself against Gotham multiple times. I want to know if you would consider joining the CIA."

Leon closed his eyes and leaned forward. His head was supported by his hands while his elbows which were placed on his knees supported his hands. This time there was no threat or attempt to blackmail him into joining. This time he was free to make his own choice if he could get Sherry away from Umbrella and warn Claire. If he was free, would he join?

"It's a big decision," Blair said. "Maybe you want some time to think it over."

Leon raised his head and saw Blair was holding a card out to him. He took the card causing Blair's smile to widened.

"I can't guarantee that life with the CIA will be as interesting as here in Gotham," Blair said. "But it does have its perks. Give me a shout when you reach a decision."

Leon nodded and thanked the man before leaving the room. He carefully placed the card in his pocket. The decision would have to wait. He needed to figure out a way rescue Sherry before Umbrella harmed her even more. Besides, he still had to find the B-virus and learn why Gaspari was trying to blackmail a police officer. Until then, the offer would have to be placed on the backburner.

He made his way to the parking lot and was unsurprised to see the lot was empty. His partner for the patrol was nowhere to be seen. Probably still bumming a hotdog off another vendor, Leon thought as he opened the car door. He retrieved the snowbrush from inside the vehicle. When he could see out the windshield and windows, he got inside and started driving. Hours later, he was still on the road with no partner and no crime being called in yet.

The radio crackled with static but for the most part the ride was silent. Snow was falling from the sky. The streets were empty and most stores were closed. Those that were open were closing for the night. Despite Gotham's less than charming reputation, under the blanket of snow it almost felt like home. A frown appeared on Leon's face. Except home was destroyed in a fireball, he thought as he halted at a red light while signalling to turn left. He sighed as he looked around.

His mind was full. Where was Sherry? Could the CIA connections help him find her? Would Gotham and the world survive the B virus long enough for him to make a choice? Who stole the vials? Why? And where were they now?

Leon glanced at the traffic signal and was unimpressed to see that the light hadn't changed. Wonder if it is broken. While he had been at the police academy prior to Raccoon City, he often walked across a busy intersection. On weekdays, the lights would change regularly so that pedestrians could cross easily. However, on weekends you'd be lucky to cross within five minutes of waiting. He seemed to be stopped at another one of those lights. Leon sighed and glanced at his mirrors. No one was around. He debated on the lawfulness of the action before hitting his turning signal. The lights on his dashboard changed so that the signal was flashing right instead of left. He eased the vehicle into the right lane and completed the turn.

The buildings surrounding the street decreased until the road suddenly ended in a parking lot with streetlights. At the end of the lot was a large greenhouse. Leon parked the car and leaned over the passenger seat to reach for the glove compartment. Inside was a map which he removed. Although he had been living in the city for a year, there were still pockets of Gotham that he didn't know how to navigate. Within seconds, he was back on track and was about to pull out of the lot when he spotted something in his rear view mirror. Behind him was the greenhouse. Its roof was covered in a light blanket of snow. The oddity was that the lights were on. He glanced at the dash clock and saw that it was past reasonable operating hours even for the summer months.

An employee working overtime? he wondered. Doubt it on Christmas Eve.

The lights turned off and the area was bathed in darkness except for the streetlights in the parking lot. Leon frowned as he waited for the employee or another vehicle to appear. After a few minutes, he was still alone in the parking lot. A back exit?

He started to shift the car into drive but his hand froze above the gear shift. The light had come on again. A shadow was racing towards the front door. Something reached out and pulled the shadow deeper into the greenhouse. A scream pierced the air before the lights went dark again. Leon paused long enough to radio his location and intentions and to turn the cruiser's lights on to act as a beacon. The radio crackled as he pushed open the door. The dispatcher was trying to caution him about something but Leon ignored it as he shut the car door.

The door to the greenhouse was open and Leon entered weapon first. He half expected the Batman to drop from the ceiling but he was disappointed. Christmas plants and arrangements lined the shelves. Poinsettias and other arrangements watched as he entered. His training dictated he announce his presence but he remained silent. In Raccoon City, mutated plants had attacked him spraying. He also vaguely recalled reading something about dangerous plants in the Gotham database but he couldn't remember specifics. However, those were reasons enough to remain silent as he searched the area. A few times, he thought he heard movement but he never saw anything. Of course he was surrounded by plants. If one was able to walk, it would just need to freeze when he turned to be hidden.

A shadow appeared on the wall in front of him. He turned and saw nothing. He took a few steps forward. His breathing was shallow as he tried to remain as silent as possible. No footsteps echoed his. He turned again. Nothing. He frowned as he searched the darkness for danger. What was he doing? He had no guarantee anything sinister had occurred in the greenhouse. The scream could have been a worker tripping over a power cord or something. At the very least, he should have brought a flashlight or something so he could see.

He froze as he heard footsteps behind him and a whisper of a cape moving. "Batman?"

"You should get out of here."

Leon relaxed and turn to face the other man. The dim light creeping in from the windows allowed Leon to make out the other man's frown. "I saw something odd and came to check it out."

"Did you find anything?"

Leon shook his head. "Nothing but it's hard to tell when it's so dark in here."

He saw the Batman nod before holding out his hand. A beam of light shone from it, momentarily blinding Leon who raised his arms to shield his eyes. The Batman started to walk deeper into the greenhouse.

"There's no point in stealth. She already knows we're here."

"Who?" Leon asked as he followed the man. His weapon carefully raised so that he wouldn't hit the man in front of him.

"Poison Ivy."

A girlish laugh caused both men to spin to look back the way they had come. A woman dressed in green, leaf-like material stood in the light of Batman's flashlight. Impish green eyes smirked at them from under a mane of red hair. On her arm was a silver, miniature crossbow.

"Merry Christmas," she said as she raised her weapon. Arrows flew in their direction. Leon ducked behind a shelf and peeked around. He ducked back as an arrow barely avoided scratching him. He heard something fly through the air and heard Poison Ivy shriek. He peeked out from behind cover and saw the Batman lowering his arm. The bat-like man glanced in Leon's direction. Leon nodded in reply before returning Ivy's arrows with bullets. The Batman dashed out of cover and towards the woman. She ducked his charge and raced into the back room. Leon and Batman followed; Leon reloading as he ran.

The back room was a jungle. The air was uncomfortably humid making Leon consider shedding his coat. Leaves whispered in a hidden wind and their suspect had disappeared. Something in the air tickled Leon's throat and he felt his mind become fuzzy as he coughed.

"What?" he coughed. "Is going on?"

"Don't inhale!" the Batman coughed. His warning came too late as Leon felt his limbs become numb. He fell to his knees and heard Poison Ivy laugh. His vision was becoming blurry as well as he felt his body fall to the floor. He saw the woman sitting on what looked to be a throne made of a giant plant leaf before the world went black.

"Believe me Batman. Even if you escape my traps, I'm the least of your worries." The eco-terrorist leaned seductively over her plant throne. "Talia's back in town but, of course, you already knew that," she added with a laugh.

The air was easier to breath close to the floor Batman found as his strength slowly gave out. At least he didn't have to worry about Kennedy suffocating to death in the toxic air. From what he could tell the air was free of dangerous plant spores. Poison Ivy was probably waiting for him to pass out before she placed him in a death trap or fed him to her plants. He could feel his eyes getting heavier. Unfortunately, Poison Ivy had also noticed.

"Aw. Getting sleepy, Batman? Don't worry," she cooed as she stepped down from her throne. "This is one night you'll never have to wake up after."

"Where's… Talia?" he managed to gasp.

He could see her green boots as she stood in front of him. "Don't know. I just overheard her minion talking to that wrestler, Bane. Something about an exchange. Venom for cash."

"Bane?"

He could tell from her voice, Poison Ivy was frowning. Her boots moved away from him and towards the unmoving officer. "You can't honestly expect to escape this time. You can barely keep your eyes open, let alone stop my babies from devouring you. With some help, they've become even stronger than you can imagine."

The sounds of something rapidly growing the forcing its way through the soil came from behind him. Vines wrapped around Batman and raised him so that he could look Poison Ivy in the eye. However, she wasn't looking at him. She was watching a large Venus Fly Trap whose mouth was large enough to swallow a man sprout from the ground. Its outer body was green but inside its mouth was red. Drool poured from its mouth and hissed when it hit the ground. A similar creature must have sprouted from behind Batman because he could see the plant's teeth in his peripheral vision.

A cruel smile marred Poison Ivy's face. "I could let the officer be eaten first. After all, it wouldn't do for my baby to die from hunger while it tried to wrestle your meat from under that suit. But you would find a way to escape."

The vines pulled Batman towards the plant's mouth and he could feel the heat of its breath. His eye lids were growing heavier as Poison Ivy announced. "So I'll let my baby you at the same time."

Batman forced his eyes to open wider as the Venus Man Trap shrieked. Vines reached towards the unconscious officer. Batman willed strength into his arm to reach for his utility belt. The vines were wrapping around Kennedy's limbs and pulling him towards the open jaws. Only the Batman's fingers twitched. The jaws opened.

A series of pops were heard. The plant jerked back and shrieked. The vines released Kennedy and the man collapsed in a heap on the ground. A window shattered. Batman heard Poison Ivy shout in rage and the vines that held him released their grip as bullets flew over his head. He fell onto the grassy floor. From his place on the ground, Batman saw the small holes in the Venus Man Trap as it collapsed to the ground.

"Sorry," a woman said. She sounded identical to the Asian woman from Umbrella. "But I need them alive for now."

"Who do you think you are!" Poison Ivy was shouting as plants twisted and moved around the greenhouse.

"Barbara Hull."

Batman struggled to raise his head but the action was beyond him. As it was, his eyes were closing again. They were barely slits when he saw a pair of black woman's shoes stand beside Kennedy's body.

With the last of his strength, Batman called out a warning about the toxins in the air. He passed out before he could be sure the woman understood. He could only hope as the darkness swallowed him.

Gotham City Police Department

Police Report

Date: Friday, December 24, 1999

Time: 22:25

"Leon? Leon, you've got to wake up!"

The voice reached him the same time he became aware of a sensation on his face. He frowned and tried to lift a hand to swat away whatever was touching him. His attempt failed when he found his arm too heavy to lift or maybe it was too numb. The sensation became a tapping of a hand on his cheek. He tried to turn his face away but another hand held his head in place. When he opened his eyes, the world was dark. The tapping stopped. A figure was leaning over him. He started to close his eye again when the tapping returned. He opened his eyes again. Slowly the world came into focus. A woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail was leaning over him and he was looking into familiar blue eyes.

"Claire?" he asked. His voice felt hoarse and his mouth dry.

The brown haired woman smiled and nodded. She placed an arm around his shoulders and helped him move into a sitting position. It was difficult. His movements were slow and his limbs felt heavy although they were no longer numb. If not for the wall supporting his back, he probably could have fallen over again. As it was, the action was enough to cause his eyes to start to close again. Through force of will, he kept them open and looked around himself.

The green house was a nightmare. Plants were black, deformed, and covered in water, suggesting there had been a fire before the automatic sprinklers turned on. Tables were overturned and Leon spotted more than one bullet hole in various walls, trees, or tables. Crossbow arrows were littered around the area. Windows were broken and outside red and blue lights flashed.

"You forgot to turn off your lights," Claire commented.

Leon tried to nod but it was a trial to raise his head again. Speaking, he discovered, was easier. "What are you doing here?"

He watched as Claire's eyes scanned the surrounding area. A frown was on her face. "Searching for Sherry. When I arrived at the station to talk to you, one of the officers said you were trying to commit suicide for the fifth time."

Leon frowned. He had a pretty good idea which officer had said that. "So you fought Poison Ivy?"

"You mean her?" Claire pointed to her left. Lying in a puddle of blood was Ivy. A figure in black was kneeling by her and bandaging her wounds from the looks of things. "When I arrived the sprinklers had just turned on and she was lying there."

The Batman stood and walked over to them. A scowl was on his face or at least it appeared that way. Leon couldn't tell what his eyes looked like due to the mask. "Did you see another woman entering or leaving the building?" the man asked Claire.

Claire shook her head. "When I arrived, I only saw you two."

"She said her name was Barbara Hull," Batman continued. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Leon frowned. Although the question seemed to be aimed at Claire, Batman was watching Leon. Claire answered in the negative and Leon echoed her answer. He didn't have a clue who the woman may be.

Batman nodded and returned to Ivy's side. He lifted her onto his shoulder easily. The toxins didn't appear to be affecting the other man half as much as they affected Leon. Maybe the Batman had developed some form of immunity?

"I'll take Poison Ivy to the police station." Batman focused his attention onto Claire. "Take Officer Kennedy home and make sure he stays there."

Before Leon could say anything, Batman had disappeared with Isley. An annoyed smile was on Claire's face as she stared at the place Batman had been. "I can see why you moved to Gotham City. At least the bad guys aren't the only strange ones."

Leon only shook his head. With a sigh, she helped him to his feet. He swayed for a moment with a hand on the wall to steady himself. He started to take a step and nearly collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, Claire caught him. With an arm to steady him, they slowly made their way out of the green house and towards the police cruiser. As Claire started the car, Leon couldn't help but wonder just how much of a lecture he was going to get from Flynn and Walker about letting a civilian drive a police vehicle. Before he could dwell on it too long, he felt his eyes getting heavy. This time, Claire let him drift into darkness and this time, there was nothing waiting to greet him.