Will and Firepower

Gotham City Police Department, Gotham City

1:12 p.m, November 18

Everybody in Gotham City heard the news. It even made front page in the local papers. "Dark knight strikes again." Jim snickered. Joker was finally back at Arkham, and hope was once more on the rise. Every cop in the district gave a loud round of applause. The dark king had reclaimed his awaited throne. Today was off to a good start.

Romano's Eatery, Gotham City

2:21 p.m

Buckham sat in the diner pouting at his guts silently to himself. For his unforgivable failure, nothing would ever make him forget the pain. He caused an embarassment to his name and reputation, and his client had died as a result of his aberration. He deserved a lot worse, he deserved to die. There was no way to make him forget the past, no way to make ammends. The only alternative was to turn around and face it, relive it once more.

A man clad in an expensive brown suit saw the mercenary and took a free seat.

"How much?" asked Buckham.

"I would prefer if we didn't talk economics just yet."

"Fair enough." His client had heard of the failure involving a previous customer. And as an acknowledgement of his mistake, Buckham would allow his client to do some of the talking.

"What's the aim?"

The client cleared his throat. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw what you did at the police station. Very very well done."

"And?"

"This little endeavor is going to be simmilar in a way. Except a different place."

"Where?"

The client paused. "In the monster's hatch, on the 21st of this month."

"Excuse me?" came the puzzled Buckham.

"You know there was a shoot up in this very diner a few days ago?"

"Yeah I heard about that," replied the mercenary unsure of where this conversation was going.

"People died, all of them innocents. It's funny how the only ones that seem to die are innocents. The bad, well they just put them in the monster's hatch. They live to fight another day."

Buckham paused. The message became readable. Now it was only a question of will and firepower.

Gotham City Police Department, Gotham City

7:52 p.m

The rooftop was repaired back to its origional shape and form after the attack that had previously blown it close to bits. Reconstruction took a lot less time than any at the force had expected it to. The reason being that was because Damien Crest who had personally financed the construction. A few thousand dollars, a couple of days and a high amount of construction workers were all that was needed to get the building running back to its usual capacity.

Jim Gordon lit the searchlight and shivered in the cold as he waited for his friend to drop by. The coffee in his hands did him as good as it could, but nothing was ever warm enough to ease a frigid November night.

The caped crusader made his arrival sooner than most times. 'He must've been out in the neighborhood,' mused Jim silently.

"You catch the morning news?" Jim asked, taking another sip of his now bland coffee. "Joker's back at Arkham. This makes a lot of people happy. The boys down at the office are singing your name. Let us just hope the bastard doesn't get out again."

"If he does, I'm prepared for..."

Batman was cutt of by a fresh voice. "Prepared for what? Another act of theatricality?"

Both men stared to the voice to see the one man they never expected to meet on the roof. The man who had just legally bought the police. His name was Damien Crest.

"Crest," Jim announced.

Damien Crest kept his eyes focused on the one legend they called Batman. It was so strange to have met such a figure so easily. He took in all the minor details of his suit from the steel boots he was wearing to the horns on his head. He wasn't as tall as he had imagined.

"You started all this you realize that?"

"Excuse me?" Batman demanded in an unforgiving tone.

"I've done my homework. You're the first one of them all." He waved a mugshot of Jack Napier into the Batman's face. "And to nobody's surprise, you've gained some fans."

"This is not my work."

"You didn't expect any of this? Is that what you're telling me? You didn't expect any of what just happened?"

Batman stood silent. Jim asked that Crest leave at once, to which he replied by saying, "Pipe down Jim. And you," he said, pointing a finger at Batman. "You actually think repeating your mistakes is going to make anything better? You just caused highway accidents in this night alone, and five people have died because of your little theatrics. And despite causing all these damages, you still manage to bring him back alive."

"If we killed him," interrupted Jim. "How are we better than them?"

Damien puffed. "You think any of this has anything to do with who's better? We are the kings. We decide what actions are needed to be taken for what's best."

Batman opened his lips. "Who's we?"

"You're flaw is that you're unwilling to make the proper sacrifices. Not making the choices so you can keep your good face. You brought him alive. You've just let countless innocents to their grave."

Damien after having reached his point, retreated back to the building trying to control his urge for another outburst.

"How's he?" asked Batman.

Jim turned his head to observe his new boss storm down the stairs and said, "I don't think things will be going too good. He tends to have a control problem. The force hasn't seen it yet, but imagine how much this guy can do against us." It was a picture hard to imagine. The entire police force turned against it's dark knight. "Well I hope it doesn't com..." He turned a head and saw his ally nowhere to be seen.