Author's note: Thank you all again for the positive feedback, its what keeps me intersted posting more chapters of this story. Hope the developements are what you all expected. Pay attention for future developments...Ive tried to make this as much entertaining as possible. It's a lot of fun...

Disclaimer1: Batman and related characters are property of Webster

Disclaimer2: Some chatpters contain MATURE LANGUAGE and MATURE SITUATIONS. Reader discretion is advised.

CHAPTER 25: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS & REVELATIONS

Charley closed her cell phone. Dealing with the Clown had become more of a hassle more than a good investment. The Joker had been careless, driven by his obsession with the Batman, and the end result had been the arrest of almost the entire Leopard gang in Gotham. She needed to do something free those Leopards under custody, but this was not her town and no matter what Joker had promised her over the phone, she did not believe him. She could not believe him. She had trusted him and now she was reduced to hide in the darkness of this city, like the rats in the sewers, praying that the flying beast will not be after her as well.

She drew her gun and checked the clip. Full…and she had two more clips on her. Those pigs will not get to her without a fight, and the Bat will taste a little bit of his own blood if he even tried to get close to her. This was the Joker's fault. Why did she kept working for him after the murderous reputation the Clown had that she had personally confirmed first hand? Murder for him was like her coffee in the morning, couldn't live without it. How could she have been so blind? The man was insane, that should have been a giveaway from the beginning, after so many odd things she had witnessed Joker do and say. She should have listened to her instincts, but everybody had said that you could get rich working for the Clown Prince of Gotham and that was too big an opportunity to just pass by. It was a dream come true; but at what cost? The dream had now turned into her worst nightmare.

Charley held her head between her hands as she felt a dizzy spell sneak up on her. She had too much to drink that night, and she could only imagine the headache waiting for her in the morning. That was going to be the mother of all hangovers. She heard the entrance door creak behind her, and she looked back, tensing every muscle, the automatic in her hand pointing at the door. Derek entered securing the door locks on the door behind him. He looked nervous, and she could notice his skin shinning from the sweat under the dim lights of the apartment. He was startled to see her aiming her gun at him and froze in place.

"Charley….what in heavens…?"

"Sorry, Derek. You surprised me." She put the gun away. "Have you heard anything?"

The man relaxed and walked over to her. "They arrested twenty-three Leopards including Jake and drove them to the station extremely quickly. The police seemed to have especial interest on Mountain Man…I think they know something."

"Of course they know something, Derek. Why do you think they knew where able to find us? Damn it, Joker, this is your fault!" Charley said under her breath slamming her hand against the wall. "We need to stay down for a while. They will be searching for us in no time."

"Maybe we can leave town, before they find out about us…leave the Clown to his own luck."

"I'm not leaving the Leopards behind. They are counting on us."

"There's nothing we can do, Charley…" Derek came closer to her. "We don't know anybody in this town and we don't have the contacts we have in Brenton. This town is a whole new game."

"I'm still not leaving. I'll see Joker dead first, before leaving Jake and the gang behind. This is his entire fault. The crew is very important, knows too much, and in this town, we need to stick together."

"Is the Joker going to do something about it?"

"He said he was…but I don't believe him. He is out of his mind; can't take the Batman out of his fucking head."

"He's the only one with the contacts in this city…didn't he said he owned it?"

Charley sighed and shook her head. "You need to learn something about Joker, Derek. Not everything he says is true. His perception of reality is...what is one way of putting it…warped? What is real for you or I, might not and probably will not be for him…he thinks that he owns his city…but it really belongs to the Bat."

"What are we going to do now?"

"I…don't know yet. But we are going to …" A sound outside the window, like the rustle of leaves, surprised her. She drew her gun again and Derek followed. "What's that noise?"

Derek walked tentatively to door that separated the living room from the small balcony. He looked though the glass all around the premises, then turned to Charley and nodded. She motioned him to open the door and check outside, she would cover him with her gun. Derek opened the door slowly and peeked outside. Pushing the door open, he stepped out in very small steps. Behind him Charley held her gun firmly on her hands, while she advanced to the balcony door gradually, not loosing sight of Derek. It was very dark outside. Half of the street lights had burned down and the ones still on hardly flickered with enough intensity to do any good. She saw Derek still advancing on the balcony to the right, his figure shadowed except for the glittering of the chain that he used as a belt around his waist.

There was a loud thud and Derek's figure disappeared. Charley's grip on her automatic tightened and two small black capsules entered the living room through the balcony door. The capsules popped open as they hit the floor and the room filled with a thick gray mist. Charley fired and something hard hit her on her hand forcing her to painfully let go of the gun. She started to back off from the enveloping mist trying to see what was lurking within the fog when she got hit on the stomach and on her jaw. A third blow to her head, this one with great force, made her spin and fall heavily on the floor where she didn't move any more.

From the dissipating mist, a long, slender hooded figure started to appear, two pointy ears high on top of a black masked hood with a long black cape that wrapped around it. The image resembled the form a large bat. The figure moved closely to Charley's inert body and knelt by her side. A dark gloved hand extended from under the sleek cape and started searching into the Leopard's leader black jacket. The bat grabbed Charley by the shoulder and turned her around, very slowly. In the midst of the turn, Charley thrust her closed fist into the Bat's face, where a nose should be, forcing the figure backwards. The Leopard leader flipped forwards and charged the enemy Bat, with all her might, inflicting blow after blow. The Bat was taken by surprise with the violent attack and was doing the best to block the blows that were coming at the speed of sound. Charley jumped into mid are and spun a kick that connected solidly on the Bat's cowl. The figure wobbled while Charley landed on the floor and with another swift spin under the dark figure, she made it stumble to the floor.

Charley continued the attack on the floor, kicking the black figure on the abdomen, the face, the groin; wherever her feet landed. There had to be a weak spot in the armor of this monster, she thought as she produced two butterfly knives from her boots. The Bat grabbed Charley's foot and pushed her away with such force that she made the Leopard fall solidly on her back. The bat figure, a female bat now that Charley could have a much better look since the mist had almost completely cleared up, rose and charged her. Charley stopped her advance with her legs and pushed the figure back, and taking an opportunity, slid between the dark figure's legs stopping quickly behind her. With a swift movement, Charley inserted one of her knives into the back of the Batgirl's right knee joint and heard the large figure scream. It was the first time that she had heard any noise from the creature. She kicked the Bat on her other knee forcing her to the floor again.

Charley was ready to finish this fight. With only one knife, held firmly in one hand, he was going to kill this beast. Cut her throat and spill her blood. She approached the fallen figure who was moaning over her injured leg. The bat noticed her and tried to rise from the floor without success. She was crippled, and that made Charley very happy. The Leopard leader smiled. "I'm gonna hang your head on the wall, freak!" This creature was all hers…then her eyes started to sting, as if acid had being poured over her eyes. Charley screamed, and fell on the floor rubbing her eyes forcefully. The Batgirl had managed to sneak up on her and spray her with something… her eyes were on fire. Pepper spray…the Bat-bitch had sprayed her with pepper spray. How? She didn't see that coming... Charley rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on the Batgirl in front of her but her eyes hurt and were all filled with tears. She wiped her eyes with her shirt and, being able to see for just a moment, she realized that the Bat was gone Where did it go? She couldn't fight with a knee like that… Damn. No good. Probably calling for reinforcements.

"Bitch!" Charley said rising to her feet and spitting on the floor. She ran a hand down her face and noted a small amount of blood coming from her nose. "That will teach you to fuck with a Leopard Queen."

The Leopard leader walked gingerly over to the balcony and looked around finding Derek lying on the floor against the veranda. She approached him and felt for a pulse. She sighed in relief at finding out he was still alive, though he would probably not wake up in a good while. Charley patted Derek softly on the shoulder and looked around the balcony once more. She saw something on the floor. It was dark, and wet. She touched it with her hand. It was blood. The bat was bleeding. She follow the small droplets of blood until they stopped at the other end of the veranda; she looked at the rail and noticed more blood. Just a drop, but enough to confirm that the Bat had jumped over. No Bat-girl. She went back and searched the apartment meticulously, and there were no signs of the creature. The Bat was gone for good…at least for now. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number. It was time to set the record straight…

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a rumble in the dining room and when she opened her eyes she realized she had fallen asleep on the chair and dropped to the ground. She giggled innocently, that was funny. Wait until she told him…he will be… She stopped giggling and let out a deep sigh. She couldn't help but to think about him. Something deep inside told her that there was something really wrong with her lover, and what bothered her the most was the fact that all the attempts she had made to find him have not yield any results. At the beginning, she had blamed the Batman for not obtaining a location on the Joker, arguing that the rat was not doing his best job. Now she had to admit that this was a daunting task. It had never been so difficult for her to find Joker; he had never being able to keep a low profile for too long, but why had he disappeared now? Her heart ached of just imagining what kind of dangers threatened her loving Clown.

Harley rose from the floor and sat on the chair again, this time laying on her arms over the table and looking at a large Gotham City travel map. In it, she had marked the hideouts she had already visited on red, while the ones left for her to go were marked on green crayon. There were not many green marks left on that map. She had gone all over the city and not as much as a green hair from Joker. That was highly unusual, like the earth had swallowed the Joker whole, without leaving any trace… and her brief contact with Michael had not yielded any new information, instead it left her with far more questions…

She couldn't shake Michael's attitude of holding information on the Joker. He had never done that to her, but what if that was not his idea, but Joker's. Why would he want to stay away from her. 'Take some time off…'Blip had said as if this was a job or an assignment…what did Blip want to tell her? Why would the Clown Prince of Crime want her beloved sidekick away from him….then a chill ran down her spine… Could it be that the Joker was no longer interested in her? Had somebody usurped her place in his heart. Harley let out an angry sigh. She would fight for the Clown's love. Anybody in the middle between her and his love, better watch out…and she would not tolerate the betrayal. "Pumpkin, if you've been cheating on me…." Harley said with a soft angry growl.

Maybe Blip was holding off to prevent her from being hurt. The hacker had always felt close to her, as someone he could talk to…very considerate, but holding info was just causing her to panic. Her imagination was running wild with all the possible scenarios, and that made her more resolute in her decision of finding her loved Clown as soon as possible even if it meant doing the inconceivable, the impossible.

"Where are you hiding, puddin'?" Harley said softly to herself, running a quick hand over the map. "I need to find you…and soon. I need you to answer some questions for me, pumpkin." She lifted the map ever so slightly and underneath she found the Joker card she always had kept with her since she met the Clown Prince of Crime. His face, white as a ghost was smiling back at her and she felt her eyes well with tears. "I really need you…but I think you might need me even more. Where are you? Why are you running away from me?"

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Joker walked back to the Buick that was still parked where he left it. He could see the Leopard boy snoozing at the wheel and not too far away Elliott taking a piss by a tree.

"Hurry home, boys. We've got problems."

"What happened, boss?" asked Elliot getting back into the car. Joker boarded the back seat.

"Got a Bat in my soup. Just drive." The boss dialed a number his cell phone. "Hellooo, Sergio old pal…. What? No, wait, don't hang up. Te tengo una propuesta de negocios que no vas a poder rehusar, amigo mio… I'm not kidding…" Joker snorted. "All right, sorry for the gas bomb, happy? …I know it's not sincere but that's all you're getting… Well, I need you to do me a little favor… of course you're going to get paid. I'll make the transfer myself. What…? Fifty grand…?" Joker made a short pause and grumbled something unintelligible while he pressed on the bridge of his nose. "OK, OK. Just for this once, as long as you deliver the goods. Great, now listen carefully and do exactly as I say…"

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Nightwing arrived at the police station one hour earlier than Batman had agreed on, but the Caped detective was already there working in his PDA. The police had been able to gather a lot of information on the gang and the Detective was probably working the details on his portable computer.

"Hey, old man" Dick said approaching the dark figure. "Guess who did I ran into… Garibaldi."

Batman's eyes could not hold his surprise as he lifted them to meet Nightwing. "Garibaldi…arrested? That's a breakthrough."

"Well, it's not that much of a breakthrough when the fat bastard manages to escape." Batman's eyes did not left the young hero. "I still don't know how he did it…it's as if he had vanished in thin air. I was right behind him, he turned a corner and just disappeared, and a guy that fat shouldn't run that fast…"

"Were you able to gather any information while you had him?"The Knight said in a grave voice. He was obviously disappointed on having lost the Joker's hacker, and Nightwing could tell from his voice... That made him feel even worse.

"He had met with another hacker in a coffee shop in downtown when I saw him. I think he bought something from the hacker, because they exchange data disks or something. I followed Blip and I was able to recover his backpack. He had some interesting things in it…at least I'm now sure that the chip stolen from Wayne Tech might have been for him."

"Blip had the chip?"

"No, but he had some AI program designs using the chip, everything looked sketchy on paper and I don't know to what extent they are functional…but Garibaldi was trying to create some applications for the chip, that's for sure. He also had a few disks with AI emulators in them…nice pieces of programming, if you ask me."

"So maybe Blip wanted to sell the chip after all…only needed to make it functional."

"That's what I think…and it seems he was doing real progress. I'm hoping that by snatching the data disks and the papers we slowed down that son of a bitch of doing anything with that chip"

"Did he say anything about Joker's whereabouts?

"He was about to when he escaped but I think he was just bluffing, buying some time to trick me…He even had me believing me that the Joker had threatened him and that he was afraid of leaving the clown…I offered him protection and everything…I can't believe I fell for that."

"Garibaldi has the master of deception for a boss and he seemed to have leaned how to become an efficient liar. Remember he fooled me once too. Unfortunately, his escape means he's going to tell Joker that we are getting closer to his trail."

"Don't remind me…I feel bad as it is by having let the bastard escape. I'm sure that the son of a bitch could convince the Pope he was Jesus." Nightwing growled angrily. "But wait until I see that fat bastard again…"

Batman looked back to his PDA. "No time for regrets. We need to focus and move forward in the investigation if we are to close in the Clown quickly. We'll take a closer look at Garibaldi's evidence when we are done with the interrogation."

"Do we have our test subjects? Nightwing said with a smile crossing his face.

"Think so…these guys are a very elite club. Once a member is accepted, they go though a series of oaths to guarantee their secrecy and anonymity. It's almost a hybrid between a gang and a secret society. Their base of operations is in Brenton about four hours north of Gotham.

"Joker went far away to hire his muscle this time."

"Yes, probably nobody wanted to work for him here, so he had to move his job search farther from the city. Their leader is known as the Grand Leopard, and he coordinates all the activities of the group. Not many people know the real identity of the Grand Leopard; but who is it is not important as long as someone wields the title and gives the orders, someone will always follow them. The Grand Leopard is a title with power.

"Is that the same as the Snow Leopard?"

"No, but that's the name they are using for their local contact. I was able to find that out quickly. Only a reserved few know who this Grand Snow Leopard is."

"Hopefully Jake will be of the lucky ones…did you find our boy?"

"I think that Zack was referring to Jake Washington, twenty-eight years, from Chicago. He is known in the streets as Golden Jake for all the jewelry he's always wearing. Lately they've been calling him Mountain Man Jake. The man enjoys a very high status on the group and everybody I mentioned his name to, shuddered…didn't want to have him on his bad side and with good reason…Mountain man has an extensive criminal record. He goes by several aliases… and he has done it all…from extortion, robbery, and dealing, to even murder."

"The kind of people Joker will love to hire."

"I also have a hacker named Thomas Riverside that goes by the name of Neo…I'm hoping he knows about Garibaldi." Dick looked at the picture in the PDA for the blond hacker. According to the file, the young man had just turned twenty-two and except for some minor burglaries to computer shops had no real criminal record. Batman opened another file in his PDA. "Finally there is Ron Merckle, which they call Hawk. He's a hired gunman, knows a lot about explosives and very close to Mountain Man. I'm hoping these three have some information for me."

Nightwing looked at the redhaired boy in the picture. He looked very young but he was way on his twenties. His file reported criminal activity since he was nine. Encouraging. this one was definetely a professional. "Are we going to interrogate as always…hard and to the point?"

"This group is very close together and they seem not to be afraid of me. During the preliminary interrogatory, no one even reacted to my presence…as if I was not in the room while the police talked to them. That's going to be very difficult to work with…but I trust our powers of persuasion…" The communicator in the Knight's cowl beeped and the Dark Detective took a small unit from his utility belt. The tiny screen flickered and the image of Alfred, his butler, appeared with his white shirt wrinkled and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows; his face tired and weary. "What's going on, control?"

"Sir, sorry to interrupt you, but it's about Batgirl."

Bruce expected the worst. "What happened?"

"She followed the Leopard girl that eluded arrest during the police raid to the Howling Moon Motel in Kingston and Meredith. She tried to intercept them there but the girl attacked her with a knife and even through the armored uniform was able to produce considerable damage to her right leg… She was lucky to get a hold of me at the cave. I was able to find her and provide first aid quickly."

"Lucky indeed," said Batman severely remembering how Cassandra had disobeyed him before. That had been an unnecessary risk for Batgirl. "How's she doing?"

"She's fine right now, but she eventually will need real medical attention. She's been monitoring the hotel ever since and says that the Leopards have not left the apartment."

"I can go," offered Nightwing. "If you don't need me, I can meet her there."

"With all due respect, sir," said Alfred. "I think it is time the police should intervene in this case. According to Batgirl, these two Leopards are still armed and dangerous. I don't think they have plans of surrendering so easily."

"I agree. Nightwing, tell Gordon what's happening and have him send officers to Batgirl's location to raid the apartment. If they are still there, the police can deal with them. I'll need you in the interrogation room. We'll be more efficient if we do this together." Batman handed Dick the transmitter with Alfred's coordinates.

"Got it." Nightwing said with a disappointing sigh.

"One last thing," said Batman as Dick stopped at the door. "The normal thing would have been to leave the apartment after the location was been compromised, rather than staying. Tell Gordon to be extremely careful. He might be walking into a trap."

Batman replaced his PDA back in his belt and left the office heading towards the interrogation rooms a few doors away. He was upset about the whole situation with Cassandra's disobedience of a direct command during the operative at the Leopard's hideout, that had now resulted in her getting injured during the investigation. This inquiry was continuing to hurt people around him, and his patience with the Joker was reaching a dangerous limit. He will close in that lunatic and dispose of him like the piece of filth he was. Nightwing joined him at the door of the interrogation room. Batman entered the interrogation room and noticed that the three men were seated at a long rectangular table facing him. All of the Leopards had shackled wrists and ankles.

"Do you know why you have being brought here?" Batman asked.

"Because yer an idiot an' don't know who yer dealing wit'." Jake answered immediately stretching on the chair. He was sporting a smirk on his face.

"Oh, we know who we're dealing with," Nightwing said approaching the table. "It is you who don't know. We know you're working for the Joker guys; a psychotic Clown who enjoys killing his staff just for the fun of it when he's bored."

"Are we supposed to be scared, Bird-dung?" Merckle answered eyeing Dick evilly.

"'Course we're, Hawk. We're supposed to be scared of clowns now…and bats, aren't we, freak?" Jake said as he tugged on the shackles that rattled loudly.

"You have no idea how dangerous this man is. He's a mass murderer, who enjoys his work. The more people he kills the happier it makes him."

"An' you think that we're going to work with a wacko like that?"

"Jake, don't pretend…we know you're working for the Clown." Nightwing spat back.

"Don't fuck with me, you don't know shit, freak! I work only for my Leopard brothers and the Grand Leopard Leader." Jake said smiling smugly. This man was too cocky and obviously the leader of this pack. Batman narrowed his eyes focusing in the chained black man. Dealing with this man was like dealing with the Joker but without the humor. Cocky, fearless and senseless. Why don't these people listen to him when all he wants is to save their lives from the Joker…?

"What makes you think so, Jake?" No answer, just that sarcastic smile. "I heard that you have spoken to the Grand Snow Leopard personally. Where is he now, Jake? Probably laughing at you all. Do you really want to pay for his crimes?"

"Yo' smoking pebbles or somethin', freak? Where ya' getting' tis info…Animal Network? What Snow Leopard shit is that?"

"Some of your men decided to cooperate with the police and share some valuable information."

"And he'e we are, Bat-dope." Jake spat. "Because yer getting info from a bunch of crack-heads talking 'bout Animal Kingdom and clowns…" This man had no fear. "Yer so lost in your own city, Bat-sap it's not even funny. I think someone else is laughing…at yeh. Do yeh have any idea who it might be?"

"Jake, we know the things you've done in Brenton…" Nightwing said.

"Then you should be real concern of what I can do to you." Jake said staring at the Dark detective who was obviously annoyed. The Detective breathing had picked up slightly, his eyes narrowed to tiny white slits in his mask. Batman was starting to loose his patience with Mountain man.

"You have an extensive record, Jake." Nightwing said trying to ease the tension in the atmosphere.

"Try to keep busy." There was that sarcastic smile again.

"They say that you know who this Grand Snow Leopard is, that you've spoken with him and he gave you the city. Jake, we can offer you a deal with the attorney's office and protection if you testify against the Joker. The only thing you need to do is tell us where to find him."

"How cute! The Big Bad Bat is offering us a deal," squealed Merckle in a feminine voice from his seat while making the chains in his shackles rattle loudly. "Come 'ere, I wanna kiss you, bat-boy!" The three thugs busted into laughter.

"I'm not going to repeat the question…where is the Grand Snow Leopard?"

"The who?" Merckle retorted in a surprised tone. "Thought you were searching for a joker."

"The Joker IS the Grand Snow Leopard. Where is the Joker?"

"Say's who? Tu mama?" Jake laughed softly. "Yer funny, Bats."

"Why do you keep protect him...?" Batman roared slamming an angry fist on the table in front of the Leopards. "He didn't protect the Leopards I arrested last week. What makes you think he's going to protect you?"

Jake looked at him silently for a moment then let out a loud cackle. "You know yer real funny, freak? Not that I'm impressed or nuttin', but I know what you've done in this city too an' anybody can play vigilante with cowl 'n cape. It takes a real man to do things in the open, like our Grand Snow Leopard, whomever he is…I don't know nuttin' 'bout jokers but I can tell yeh this, he's a natural performer, a genius.… yeh on the other hand….just a freak. What can yeh' expect, you're nuttin' but a zoo reject."

Batman grabbed Jake by his vest and lifted him off the chair. On his communicator he could hear Gordon asking him to calm down. Nightwing approach him stopping short of a few paces between Batman and Jake.

"If your boss was that open, Jake I will be having this conversation with him instead of you. Joker is comfortably sitting somewhere in this city, while you and your brothers are stuck in here with me…and I can assure you that he doesn't give a damn of what happens to you."

"The problem with yeh and yer little group of boy scouts," Jake said signaling to Nightwing, "is you don't realize how crazy you are…livin' under the delusion you can stop crime…give me a break! Don't search for lunatics at the fair when you 'ave one in yer cave."

"Don't push your luck, Washington. You're in my town now and when dealing with Joker I will not make exceptions until I've sent that clown back to the Asylum."

"Or what, gonna spank me? Reality check, Bat-man, t'is NOT yer town no more or yeh wouldn't 'ave to claim it from the freaks every night." Jake stared into the Dark Detective's eyes, now pits of burning rage. Who was this man? Batman wanted to erase that stupid smile from the man's face with one swift uppercut but opted to lower Jake back to his seat. He needed some time away from this guy, so he turned to the others.

"Tom, what about you? Know anybody by the name Michael Garibaldi, or maybe Blip?" Batman asked walking over to Neo. Riverside eyed 'Mountain man' quickly.

"Nope, but I know a Batty666 online. That you, handsome?" Neo threw Batman a kiss laughed joyfully along with the other gang members, but Batman was not amused. This one was not going to talk as long as the other two were around.

"Merckle, are you joining these clowns in their vow of silence?"

"Clowns? And I thought we 'er Leopards." The gang busted in laughter again. "You know you have an unhealthy obsession with clowns, right Bat-dope?

"You guys don't know how deep in you are in this mess. You're aiding a well known mass murderer, responsible for over a thousand deaths and who, since his last escape has already killed eleven people, and might have you in his to do list. If you appreciate the opportunity you've been handed, you will try to save your lives and get off as much dirt off you before Joker falls."

"Yer such a loosah, Bat-freak." 'Mountain Man' interjected from his corner chair. "Don't waste our time. We're one big happy family. 'N we'er all laughing at yeh."

"We'll see about that." Batman narrowed his eyes and stared, but Jake remained there unmoving with that silly smile in his face. This Jake was starting to annoy him very much. The Detective stormed out of the interrogating room to find Gordon still standing in front of the mirror glass.

"The big guy knows how to push your buttons. Not good."

"I know Jim, and I wonder who taught him because he reminds me so much of Joker. But they're going to bulge; I promise. I just need them separated. Washington seems to be the one in charge. The other two are not as tough, especially Neo. He has hardly said a word at all."

"Batman, are you going to follow protocol?" Gordon asked with obvious concern in his eyes. Batman realized how close he had been to loosing it, for his friend to be so worried. "I can't let this continue if I don't have your word."

"Never doubt it, Commissioner. I just need the other two away from Washington."

Gordon nodded and the cops started to prepare the other interrogating rooms for the transfer of Leopards. This was going to be one long night.

Sorry...forgot to translate: Te tengo una propuesta de negocios que no vas a poder rehusar, amigo mio (I have a business proposal you can't refuse, my friend). Hope you all enjoyed this installment...keep the feedback coming...the good, the bad and the ugly. God Bless, until next chapter...