Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Robin or Gordon. DC does. I'd like to thank everyone who has taken time to read and/or review the story so far. I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter. If there are any bits you like or don't like please let me know! Cheers Rob
Batman – Murderer – Chapter Four
With one hand Gordon grabbed hold of the carpet cleaner, which was still dangling by its cable from the window. He crashed against the wall winding him. He tried to force air into his lungs and looked down. Big mistake. Why was his office on the top floor? He started to sweat. Breathe deeply. Breathe deeply, he told himself. Calm down. What was that creaking sound? The power cable was starting to come out of the carpet cleaner. God dam cheap rubbish! Whoever had designed it obviously never thought that police officers would need to cling onto it for dear life. When he got out of this… If he got out of this he would have all cleaning appliances weight tested up to and including Sergeant Harvey Bullock. His feet were scrabbling at nothing. He looked up and could see the wires slowly come out of the appliance, blue, green and red. He grabbed hold of the wire. Damn! It's smooth, nothing to grip on. He had about three seconds before the cleaner parted from the wires. A drainpipe. Have to swing to it. He started swinging. Missed. Another creaking sound. Try again. Got it! He grabbed hold of the drainpipe just before the cleaner parted company with the wire. He looked at his knuckles; they were all bloodied. He had scraped them on the wall but he just hadn't noticed.
There was a screaming sound above him. That scum Zsasz was toying with Maggie. He clambered up the pipe towards the smashed window and clambered heavily in, cutting his legs on the broken glass. To think Batman does this sort of thing for a living? Zsasz hadn't noticed Gordon coming in because Maggie was screaming so much. Bastard. He hadn't cut her yet he was just toying with her. He picked up his gun and shot Zsasz in the back. In the police write up he mused he'll just write that he shot him in the front, saves internal affairs getting involved. Zsasz was thrown forward. He picked himself and turned round.
"Mr Policeman," said Zsasz, he grinned. "I'm wearing body armour!"
Gordon shot him twice more. Zsasz was thrown back again. Zsasz leapt for the window and threw himself out. Gordon ran to the window and saw a black shape swing into the distance.
Maggie picked herself up to her feet, wiped the tears from her eyes and said huffily. "You'll just have to clean your own office in future Jim!"
Bruce Wayne was getting panicky. He looked at his watch. He had to get out of here now. He looked across at Aunt Celia. She had perched herself on a bar stool and was busy telling the bar man how to make a Bronx cocktail. Bruce could see the slightly glazed look on the barman that anyone who spoke to her soon got. He bit his lip and looked around the women at the bar. There was a nice looking blonde woman wearing a black latex mini dress. Put a bat motif on her and she could be Batgirl. He strolled up to her.
"Nice dress," he said.
"Mmm," she said and looked away.
"I've got something like it at home actually."
She gave him a strange look. "Do you collect dresses or just wear them?"
Bruce went red. "Well not dresses as such. Latex."
"You go around wearing latex?" She gave him a quizzical look.
"Well only sometimes…"
"I've always wanted to meet a man who liked wearing costumes."
"I've got lots at home! Shall I show you my collection?"
"Babe I'm there!" she grabbed him by the arm.
He looked across at Aunt Celia who spun around on her seat and gave him a huge smile as he walked past. With a fixed smile on his face and the girl he was with twittering about whips and chains he walked through the door to the outside. He dropped her arm and ran down the alleyway.
"Come back!" She shouted. "I want to show you Super girl outfit!"
Where was Tim? More to the point where was Alfred? He ran past a shop door way and there was Tim. It looked like he was giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? Oh no, that is what he was doing.
"Come on Tim!"
"Who's the old guy?" Said the girl Tim was with.
"My Paaaa…. Teacher," said Tim. "Bye! I'll ring you."
"You haven't got my number!"
"I'll look you up in the telephone book."
"I haven't told you my name."
"I'll use my psychic powers, I've got to go babe."
Bruce looked behind him and could see Tim racing behind him. Bruce had got his mobile out of his pocket and was busy calling Alfred. He looked behind him and he could see two annoyed looking women. Oh well such is life. Alfred answered the phone.
"Alfred meet us at the junction of 12th and 10th," he said and disconnected the call. He looked behind him and could see Tim running behind him.
"You're a real wet blanket, you know that Bruce?"
Bruce shrugged and looked up the street to see Alfred tearing up the street in the Bentley.
He grinned at Tim. "I reckon we have got about 30 minutes before Aunt Celia starts calling us to find out how things are going."
"Let's go hunting Bats."
Tony Bressi looked around at his men. They were a battered, scarred bunch of thugs, as most criminals in Gotham tended to get when left to the Batman's tender mercies. He grabbed hold of the armrest of the chair as the lorry they were in turned round a corner. The light in the van was swinging wildly.
"One last time," said Bressi. "Team A, Bill, what are your objectives?"
"We know them Tony," said Bill. "Don't you worry."
"I'm not worried for myself," said Bressi. "I'm worried for you. If you foul up I'll be donating your body to medial science, what they find of it. What are your objectives?"
The boys chuckled at this. Ten years ago… Five years ago he would have killed him where he sat for that remark. He was losing respect and in this game if you have lost respect you lost your life. Don't lose it. This is going to be the last job. Bill's got friends. If you kill him they'll kill you. He never used to be scared of the consequences… He never used to think of the consequences.
"We go in and silence any security guards and secure the inner foyer," said Bill and he waved his shotgun in the air. "Team B will be carrying the explosives and will acquire the prize. Team C will be setting off all the alarms in all the banks in the area."
"Boss?" Asked Bill nervously. "Are we really giving that psycho Zsasz fifty percent?"
"You must be joking? I didn't bust that freak out of Arkham just to wind up owing him. We'll be giving him what he so richly deserves. Both barrels."
Bruce put the cowl on. As always he felt a change come over him. Carl Jung used the word "Persona" to describe the social mask that we construct over the top of our true personalities to interface with others and the world. Batman always thought of Bruce Wayne being the mask and Batman being his true personality. He looked across at Tim. He hadn't changed; he was his normal mouthy self with or without the mask. Considering what Tim had been through he was still surprisingly "normal". He sometimes wondered what he would have been like if he had had a chance to take out his rage against the world at a young age and not bottle it up until the rage was all there was?
"Take a right, Alfred," Batman growled. "If Aunt Celia calls, fetch her from the club."
"Certainly, sir," said Alfred. "I will tell her you are indisposed for the duration."
Alfred parked the Bentley up a side alley. The door opened and Batman and Robin stole out into the night. They pointed their grappling guns at the skyline and swung out into the streets. They landed on a nearby rooftop.
"Alfred has been monitoring the police bands," Batman told Robin. "The false Batman is Zsasz but he is still wearing the costume."
"Zsasz?" Said Robin and shuddered. "He is that twisted psycho who cuts himself every time he kills someone doesn't he?"
"Yes. His body is a network of scars, he has killed more times that even I know," said Batman. "I should have stopped him before this. He is lethal with his knife and is very accurate at throwing it as well. Stay clear of him, I'll take him down. You are just here as an extra pair of eyes."
Robin put his hand to his ear. "That was Alfred. Zsasz has been spotted on the Gotham state hospital roof."
"Then that is where we are going." Batman raced to the edge of the roof and leaped into the abyss. He pointed his grappling gun at the nearest roof and swung through the streets.
Gordon was having his hands bandaged and glowering at the person doing the bandaging.
"If you keep the bandage for at least one day," they said. "Then see me tomorrow. You've used up all our bandages you know?"
"I'm very sorry."
"Try and be more careful in future."
"I was thrown out of a window."
"If you play these rough games…"
"It was not a game!" What was it with bandaging someone up that bought out the mothering instinct? He wouldn't have been bothered normally but it was the Sergeant Bill Smith, in charge of one of the Swat teams.
"Don't get tetchy with me, I didn't throw you out the window."
He was not annoyed at him so much as his office being turned into a crime scene! The team leader, one of his Sergeants, was busy making a preliminary survey, evaluating evidence and assigning search patterns to his men. His men were going through his office with a fine toothcomb and photographing everything. He was being legally burgled goddam it. His phone rang. He picked it out of his pocket, wincing as the movement opened up the wounds on his hand.
"Gordon."
"It's Lieutenant Kitch, sir. My men are in place and hidden on the roof of the hospital…"
"What is it Kitch?"
The voice whispered down the phone. "Batman, or Zsasz, has just landed here sir. Jeez another Batman or Zsasz has just landed on the roof the other side. My god they have both disappeared from view. They are using the shadows. What do we do, we don't know which one is which?"
Gordon thought for a moment. He owed loyalty to the masked man but he owed more to his men. They went out on the streets everyday; they didn't have his years of training or his gadgets. He sighed. "Batman can take care of himself. Zsasz is lethal, he so much as twitches in your direction, you gun him down."