The Perfected Art of Making Enemies
It was the dead of night, a quiet, cruel and ruthless time which was known by every person who lived in the city of Gotham. Outsiders were led to believe that the city was a dangerous place during all hours of both the day and night, though that was true, they did not know that with the darkness sweeping the city came the true monsters of Gotham, the true villains of the city, the creatures that thrive in the cast of the dark which floods the already broken city into an even more brutal fight for one's survival.
In a remote, isolated and vacant street was a black limousine that drives along, with blacked out windows. From within the pristine vehicle sat a woman with dark long-flowing hair, she was dressed in a black business suit with white gentle stripes. Sitting opposite her was a man, slightly overweight, with his black hair slicked back and his crooked teeth forming into a not too pleasant smile towards the woman. Sophia Falcone and Tony Zuko look at each other, seeing and knowing what the other one was thinking.
They never get along well enough to hold a single conversation between them, not without having someone needing to stand in as their talks quickly became a childish match of insults and sometimes telling the other that they were more successful than the other. So they took any time they agreed with each other as a sign that hell was about to break loose, and *hell* usually meant the forthcoming of a threat to destroy their crime syndicates, and that was indeed the one thing that they agreed on most.
"This whole thing has become one giant disaster" Sophia stresses "When Roman showed us that file about the plans for the breakout, I thought that he was kidding. He even said that it was only meant as an intimidation tactic to get the cops off of our backs if they got too close to our operations" she lifts a single eyebrow to showcase her utter disbelief that such a reckless act actually occurred "Let's face it, Sionis is losing control. You know when Great White Shark left town, I was ecstatic as we could have a larger share of Gotham's underworld, however, Sionis has gotten cold feed and has given in to becoming the errand boy of the *you-know-who*" she rolls her eyes.
"Sionis has already played turkey for a long time now, and he's being overcooked to boot. You, me and Sionis were all willing to follow the boss's orders, just think about what he promised us? All we have to do is follow his orders and make his plan happen, and we will rule Gotham for eternity. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a no-brainer" Tony shrugs.
"I agreed to go along with this prophecy of his because I was had no choice. Batman has single handily done millions of damages to my operations, he takes out my men and makes me look incompetent which is not a look that I like to have. Sooner or later my men would have disbanded from me to work for Sionis, and he would have ordered me to be killed" Sophia rubs her nose and glares to Tony "You and Sionis may have also been hurt by the bat's actions, but compared to me, you are missing pocket change"
"Maybe if you weren't so arrogant and kept purposely tryin' to agonise the commissioner; you wouldn't have the much of a problem with keeping low. I get that his gal shot you in the head and all, but look, you are alive. Strange made sure that you were as good as new, so you really should let go of your grudge of him" the man offered the best advice that came to his mind as he shares another smile, a closed mouth one, a very smug one which shows just how superior that he thinks of himself compared to her.
"Killing him will bring way too much-unwanted attention my way. I would be the prime suspect, everyone and their grandma knows just how much I hate him, even with that, Batman is our prime focus for the moment. That son of a bitch is going to pay for every nickel that he has cost me. I will personally see to it that he will suffer for. single. one" her once calm tone slowly pitches into a venomous one, one full of anger and disdain for both of the men that have crossed her path.
"Woah there, you are getting way too personal with the freak. I say that we get it over and done with, none of that funny business of putting him in a situation where he could escape. We do it quick and fast, nothing fancy, but quick"
"People need to learn that they do. not. mess. with. us. He and the commissioner do not deserve a quick death, they deserve to be ripped apart and slowly, painfully die - I want to see them choke on their last breaths knowing that they should have never crossed me - I will not settle for anything less than that" the dark-haired woman hisses which leaned Tony to the idea of not poking the hornets nest anymore. He knows that with any more attempts to piss her off would only result in his own disadvantage.
"Good luck with that one, it's not like Batman is just going to find you, he is way too busy with those crazy bastards"
"He will find me, I'm not someone that he can just ignore...and when he does...I will be ready"
The black limousine drives over a bridge where a bat-shaped metal object was thrown into the windshield and knocks against the driver's head; knocking him out as he head plants down on the stirring wheel. His foot was pressed against accelerator peddle which greatly increased the speed that they were going at; causing it to ramp over the bridge's surface.
Sophia and Tony both look over to the now broken windshield and at the unconscious driver "What the hell was that!?" Tony yells, clearly annoyed as he begins to realize who was behind it, but before he could tell the woman, the roof of the limousine was dented heavily as it appeared that something - or someone had landed upon it from high up "YOU JUST HAD TO JINX IT, DIDN'T YOU?"
"I'll deal with this" Sophia pulls out a handgun from under her coat and aims at the roof "Let's see if you are as good as they say!" she yells as she fires an entire clip at the roof. The bullets pierce through the roof and towards the one on it. From outside, the dark knight was clinging to the roof as the limousine was spiralling out of control, drifting from left to right, skidding against the road. He rolls over onto his sides as the bullets were unleashed; piecing all across the roof.
the shadowy figure laches onto the sides of the black vehicle. Using the fins on his gauntlets to cut into the limousine to support his weight. His cape was thrown like a ragdoll against the fast movements that both he and the limousine were being exposed to. He slowly reaches towards one of the doors to the vehicle and rips it open which revealed to him a very scared Tony Zuko who gulps at the sight of the shadowed figure. The vigilante grabs him by the shoulder and throws him out of the moving limo.
Zuko screams as he was thrown onto the harsh, hard and unforgiving road at the speed that he was. His body rolled, over and over. His body was burned by the friction of his collision against the ground at such a speed. He cries, withers and screams over and over until his body eventually stops moving, losing all of its momentum from the sudden actions. He lies against the road, on his front as blood rushes from his head. He was still conscious, he could still think but unfortunately, all of his thoughts were used to remind him of the agonising pain that he was in, his suit was ruined, torn and ripped all over. His eyes look to the limo that steady drives out of his line of vision.
Meanwhile, Sophia Falcone scoots backwards as she sees the dark knight climb his way into the backseats with her. She lifts her handgun and attempts to fire at him, but with she soon realizes that she was out of ammo and was completely valuable to him "Come and get it" she kicks at him from her seated position. Batman grabs her ankle in mid-kick and drags her off of her seat and onto the floor. Sophia looks as she sees the vigilante looks at the briefcase that was placed near where she was previously sitting.
He reaches over and grabs the briefcase by the handle. His head turns towards the open door and he leaps out of it; leaving Sophia alone. She breathes heavily as she relishes in the fact that the man was gone, but was also full of dread that he took the briefcase, which he shouldn't even know about.
On the road ahead, several more Batarangs were thrown, but this time at the road itself as they cut into the ground and stand up. The limo speeds over them; slicing all of its tires. The sudden motion threw the vehicle over as it rolls against the road. Sophia and the driver were both thrown around with each movement. The limo rolls over and was left upside down as smoke slowly exits through the engine. The dark-haired woman coughs as she tries to regain her composure, she slowly crawls out of the now broken limo, blood dripping down her forehead and mouth.
Her eyes look forward to a pair of black armoured boots in front of a black cape that slowly swerves "If you know what is good for you...you better kill me right here and now before I will have the chance to make you suffer for this! I WILL KILL YOU!" Sophia spits blood at the man's boot. Looking at the man in question, she could hardly see him thanks to the same cloak of the night that hides her from Gotham, they both flourished in darkness, they were made for it.
Wayne Manner
2 32 PM
[2 Days Until Operation: Knightfall]
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Hello?"
"Darlin', you uh...you okay?"
"Yoo-hoo, anyone home?"
Selina's eyes open to the sight of Harleen leaning over her as they both look into the others' eyes. She bats her eyes and takes a moment before jumping up onto her feet and off of the sofa. Harleen jumps back from the unexpected agile motion from the other woman. Harleen holds her hand over her chest and holds a smile with her lips "You're still breathin', that's good. You had me worried for a sec, I thought I was sharing the room with a dead person and since this the livin' room...that woulda been a lil' awkward"
"How long have I been out?" Selina holds her forehead as she feels what she could only describe as the leftovers of a huge hangover, she had never felt such a mind grain in her life, her thoughts were fuzzy, they all blurred together, making them impossible to distinguish one from another.
"Uh...I honestly don' know. You were here when I came down, you musta come here sometime in the night, cuz you sure as hell weren't here when I went to bed" Harleen informs Selina. The blonde was dressed in a red sweater and black skirt with black leggings. She wasn't wearing her gasses which have her blue eyes more room to be seen and noticed. Harleen sees the woman's clear sign of pain "Are you gonna be alright? Cuz I'm just a psychologist, medical stuff is not my thing. I think that you oughta see a doctor or somethin'"
"I'm fine...have you seen Bruce? I've been searching for him, and I am not having any luck"
"Afraid not, I haven't seen him since he stormed off to find Alfred, Bruce said somethin' 'bout Jerome Valeska, I'm gussin' that he went off to find him, but apart from that; I haven't seen Bruce" Harleen answers as she sees Selina having trouble standing "I gotta feelin' that you are kinda goin' through some sorta trip. You really should seek for medical help, I have my own past with drinkin' and I sure as hell never turned down the chance to get rid of my hangover"
"I'm not drunk...I just need...a moment to gather my thoughts"
"Riiiigggghhhhhhttttttt" Harleen lifts her eyebrows and folds her arms "You waltz into this place, crash out on the couch, an' can't remember what you were up to, you can't even think clearly" the blonde sarcastically humours Selina "Can't you at least recall last night? That would be a great starin' point"
"Again, I ain't been drinking, understood? I was searching for Bruce somewhere and then...then...my mind just goes blank...It's like the memory was ripped right out of my head, even feels like it" Selina rubs her forehead with both of her hands as the words "...Find Bruce...stop Batman" were whispered into her ears, full of temptation and she was in no state of mind to fight against them. She was planning on finding Bruce anyway "...Stop Batman from killing..., you must go and stop him, save...Bruce...save...Bruce" the words plague her mind.
"I...I need to get some air, you stay here and stay out of trouble"" Selina heads towards the exit of the room.
Harleen hears Selina leave the manner. She hears the door close behind her and with that the blonde smirks "I don't believe it...she actually didn't see you, Mistah J" she turns her head to Joker who grins back to her, now wearing his purple overcoat "How...how...did you manage to pull off such a fancy trick? You were standin' right in front of her the whole time and she didn't even bat an eye your way, even when you got real close and started whispering in her ear"
"She already didn't see things my way...so I thought...why-the-hell-not? Let's have her commit to that perception. I had Tetch hypnotise her to stop her from seeing me, but my voice is still just as haunting to her, I can plant little ideas into her grey matter and have her think that they are her own" the ghoulish man replies with a small chuckle "Sometimes, I even amaze myself to my creativity. Being the little devil on her shoulders sure as hell s going to be amusing...well for me, her? Not so much"
"I still don't know why you needed to get Tetch involved. I've got plenty of experience with using hypnosis. I coulda done that for you as well"
"Oh, Harley, oh Harley...if I kept you for your talents...I wouldn't keep you at all..." he rests his gloved hand on the skin of Harleen's neck "Just stick to being a good little girl, okay? You are meant to be my personal trojan horse Bruce accepts with his opens arms with his foolhardy nature of always wanting to see the good in people" Joker explains.
"Does that mean that I get to slit his throat while he's sleeping?" she snaps her teeth together with a prurient gaze that she aims at the man stood in front of her.
"You lay a finger on him...and so help me, woman...I won't be able to keep my hands off of you" Joker brings his other hand around Harleen's neck "I may...just...I don't know...I thought that I lost him before...I don't know what I would do without him...he...makes me...feel...complete, you could never understand our bond...you never experienced the rush of knowing that you found your soulmate, your other half, someone that needs you just as much as you need them" the ghoulish man let loose a small chain of laughter.
"I do" she looks up to the man in awe, "I think that I do"
G.C.P.D
3: 03 PM
"Dent, come on. You're being moved" Jim Gordon tells his friend as he slides the cell's door open. He looks to Harvey Dent, still dressed in the same clothes from a few nights ago. Gordon realizes that he must have been wearing those same clothes the entire time that he was held in the precinct. Harvey looked to the ground, silent as he fiddles with the coin in his hand, flipping it over, rubbing it between his thumb and index finger "C' mon, Dent. Didn't you hear me? I said that we're moving you. Bruce has already signed you to stay at Wayne Manner"
"This quickly? I know that you pulled the same strings for Harleen, but why me?" Dent questions, standing up and following Gordon out of the cell "I'm not a witness to a crime, I have no information that could lead to an arrest and I got a feeling that the corrupt cops in here made sure to make proving my innocence a pipe dream" Jim rests one of his hands over the man's shoulders as he leads him into a hallway. He looks around for any sign of other officers.
"You're not safe here, I doubt that even I am at the moment" Jim turns to face Harvey, "I think I know who is the source of corruption in this place. I thought that it would be a high ranking member, someone who can get into places that other officers couldn't without drawing suspicion. That's when it hit me, I know it wasn't me, so it had to be the man under me..."
"Bullock? That's crazy, Bullock did have his history of corruption, but he hasn't been like that for a long time" Dent was in denial of such a thing actually being real.
"I got a bad feeling that isn't Bullock, he's been acting strange lately...he sided with Harleen to have her placed in Wayne Manner without taking the time to think over just what an idiotic plan that is. I noticed that he hasn't had his flask on him lately either. The Bullock that I know doesn't go anywhere without it. He would forget his pants before he would leave his flask at home, and most telling of all...he doesn't have the bad body odor that he usually sports"
"Now that you mention it...that does sound quite strange, but still such a transfer on short notice can't possibly be legal- Oh...I see. You're forcing my transfer to get me out of here and someone where I have a chance of not being murdered in the dead of night, but this is bound to draw suspicion?" Harvey questions.
"From who? The Mayor?"
"Ah...good point"
Wayne Enterprise
4: 28 PM
"And you say that you don't remember what happened after that?" Lucius looks to Selina who sat over the man's desk. She still held her head tightly as her mind was still hurting, nowhere near as much as it was earlier, but still quite bad "I can't be of much help here either, Selina. The last thing I know was that you were entering the undergrounds of Wayne Manner towards Bruce's...man cave, you mentioned that Bruce was looking for Jerome Valeska and than...you just went quiet"
"That can't be it, Lucius. I remember all of that, but nothing of what happened after. I don't even know how I got into Wayne Manner" the dark-haired woman stressed as she clenches her face "It's like everything after that moment was just ripped out of my head and was very poorly put back together, I know that something important happened, but for the life of me, I just can recall it. It's like whenever I am close to remembering it, it is just ripped away even further"
"Sounds quite serious, are you sure that you are still up to finding Bruce? If your next encounter with him goes as well as your last one...you may need to put a fight, and with all due respect, Selina. I don't think that you are in the right set of mind to put up any worthwhile fight or even talk sense into him" Lucius tries to reason with the woman, but he knew full well just how stubborn that she can be, nowhere near as Bruce, but still enough to cause all kinds of trouble for both her and the ones around her.
"Yes, I'm fine. My head only really hurts when I think back to last night, otherwise, I'm all good to go" she pushes herself up off of the desk and looks to Lucius "Gordon. If there is one person that Bruce can trust just as much as Alfred...it's Gordon. I should try to get him to try to talk some sense into him, Bruce will listen to him - the only problem is to do it without letting Gordon know that Bruce jumps around rooftops and beats up bad guys for a hobby"
"Are you sure that's a good idea? How are you planning to get Gordon involved without him learning about Bruce's identity?"
"Listen, I don't know, okay? We're running out of options. This Knightfall is supposed to happen in less than two days, Bruce has completely lost it and has gone a rampage - beating the hell out of anyone that could lead him to Jerome - Alfred...is...gone, so you need to excuse the fact that I haven't really had the time to think clearly, okay?" Selina sighs, looking away from the man "...I just want to stop Bruce from making a terrible mistake..."
"Even though you would choose to kill Jerome if you had the choice, right?" Lucius holds his arms tightly to his chest "I appreciate you doing this, Selina. I know that you must hate knowing that you are going to be inadvertently saving the life of that mad man, I am well aware that must be eating you up inside"
"You got that right, I hate that I have to do this. If it was up to me...I will make sure that the bastard is put back into his grave...for good. But I can't let Bruce cross that line, I've seen what happens to him when he does...it's not a pleasant sight, Lucius" she turns to face Lucius once more "I'm not going to let Bruce throw away everything that Alfred had taught him...not like this, I can't let Bruce betray himself...he would never be able to forgive himself"
"Well...better get a move one, because Bruce now has an entire night head start over..." Lucius eyes gander over to the television attached to the wall of his office. He slowly tilts his head which Selina noticed as she too looks at the screen. Lucius grabs the remote from his desk and turns up the volume "Oh my..."
"This...this is...this is the Gotham Gazette, I am your host: Jack Ryder, and we have...have uh...uh...special guest in the studio with us..." Jack Ryder, a brown-haired man with a pair of glasses shakes along with each word that he says. Dressed in a blue shirt under a brown sweater with one single horizontal yellow stripe across it. He nervously taps a cluster of papers against his desk and was clearly sweating "We would like to...take the honour to uh...introduce…"
"Oh get on with it...the anticipation is killlliiinnnnggggg mmmmeeeeeee, actually it is going to be killing you if you don't get eh move on," another voice tells the man from off the screen.
Jack steadily nods as he acknowledges the other man "Please bring a round of applause for...for...Jerome Valeska" the camera moves across to capture both Jack and Jerome who held a shotgun to the man's head with his finger pressed on the trigger. The redhead's hair was slicked up and he was dressed in a red shirt under a yellow waistcoat with a dark-red tailcoat and white gloves. His face looked like that it has been cut as all around his face were small marks that look like that they were made by a small knife.
"How'd you doing?" Jerome grins as he slowly wags his fingers at the camera and to everyone that watched him "'Ello kiddies, did you miss me? Cuz I sure missed you. Your eyes do not deceive you, Jerome Valeska is back and all ready to make up for lost time...so...for all those loyalists of mine!... Looks like you had the right idea" he chuckles.
"Mr Valeska...may I ask you what you have planned? Maybe a tease...or something...?"
"Good thinking, Bob..."
"Uh...I'm Jack..."
"Whose the one with the gun?"
"Eh...Bob, it is"
"Good. Now you all may be wondering just what mental scheme that I have planned, right? Well...sorry to disappoint you all, but this is a VIP event only" Jerome rests his left arm on the desk "I want Bruce Wayne D-E-A-D an' I wanna be the chap to do it. Brucie shouldn't have any problems with coming to me considering that we recently crossed paths..." Jerome's eyes narrow "What says you Brucie? You wanna go on a play date with yours truly...I promise that it was a killer time..."
"You coming here and showing yourself to the city is a foolish thing to do! You are aware that Batman will have no problem taking you down"
"Batman? Batman? Batman? Why is everyone just so hellbent on bringing up that guy? I couldn't care less about him, this is about me settling a score between me and Brucie, if Batman shows up too...well I guess that's just even more entertainment, but right now I only care about killing poor old Bruce" Jerome snickers "To all my loyal followers out there, you know who you are! Do good old papa Jerome a favour and go wild - cause some hell and for you Jimbo? Don't think that I have forgotten 'bout you...I have plans for you too..."
"You won't get away with this...Batman will stop you"
"Uh-huh, sure thing, Bob. So Brucie...you remember where we last fought? I hear that the circus is back in town...what do you say? For old times sake...I heard that its been abandoned a while back and would make the perfect place four our play date?"
"He...just announced his plan and where he's heading to the whole city!? That's crazy...even for him" Lucius stammers. Selina folds her arms and steps forward. Her eyes reflect the image of the crazy redhead. She sees the same evil that plagued his brother's eyes. The resemblance was uncanny to her.
"No, that's clever. He's bringing Bruce to him...where he will have the home-field advantage, no doubt that he has already set up shop there, and Bruce is no doubt going to willingly walk into that trap" she turns on her heels to face the man "I need to get to the circus before Bruce can and stop Jerome. That transmission must have caught Gordon's eyes too, he is sure to show up too" she heads towards the door to the room "I can already tell that I won't make it there before him"
"Not without any help, Bruce keeps most of his non-bat themed vehicles down in the garage down below. He has a whole floor to himself, and I got a feeling that you are going to enjoy the...exotic collection that he has" Lucius informs the dark-haired woman who lifts an eyebrow.
"Exotic?"
Selina presses her heel down on the pedal of the grey-tuned motorcycle as she wears a dark-blue helmet with a chrome-tinted as she drives out into the streets of Gotham. The sky was a dullish foggy grey and the roads themselves were barely inhabited by only a handful of vehicles. She presses the heel of her boot against the pedal once again to increase her speed as she drives down the street, away from Wayne Enterprise "The circus that Jerome mentioned is a few hours out, and out of Gotham city's limits. I recommend going at a steady pace of forty miles per hour once you leave the city's limits, that way you should only take around eighty minutes and will not draw the attention of any cops outside the limits"
"Thanks, Lucius. I'm going to bring Bruce home, I promise..." she turns a corner. Unbeknownst to her from high above, a black cape swerves across the rooftops as the silhouetted figure grapples across from building to building, his long cape moves with each leap, like a pair of wings that elevate him from perch point to perch point as the sickly sky looms over the city. Rain begins to slowly pour down from high above, splashing all over the grounds and surfaces of the buildings as they gradually become much more hard-hitting and faster drops, eventually culminating into a storm with lightning that strikes across the skyline. As the dark knight leaps over the next rooftop, lightning strikes down behind him; for a split second revealing the vigilante with the flash of light.
Meanwhile at Wayne Manner
"So...this is my new prison? I got to say...there are certainly worse alternatives" Dent makes a passing remark as he and Jim sit down on the couch as they look to Harleen who was crashed out on her own sofa with one of the books that she took from the shelves across the room placed over her eyes as she snores. Dent moves both of his wrists, making the most of the feeling of them no longer being restrained from the cold-metal handcuffs. There were marks that circle all the way around them as a reminder of framing.
"You're not a prisoner here, Dent. Me and Bruce both know you're innocent. You are a free man here where no one in the public eye can find you. Bruce made sure that you would be taken here the very moment it became an option. He made this happened...that doesn't sound like a man who doesn't trust you" Jim leans forward, holding his palms together "...I've tried reaching out to him, I tried calling him all night since the moment I found out about...Alfred..., but I haven't gotten much luck"
"I couldn't believe it either, Alfred meant so much to him...like a second father, I can't imagine having something as important as that being taken away from me...I doubt I would be able to deal with that" Harvey tilts his head to Jim "Maybe Bruce just needs time...time to heal, enough time to get his thoughts together"
"Trust me, Harvey...Bruce has never been one to deal with loss easily. Just knowing that he could be feeling the same as the boy I met in Crime Ally...scares me. Bruce has done everything he could for this city, and this is what he gets in return" the commissioner lowers his head "It makes me think if the world is even fair. In this city, it is always the good men and women that have to suffer for their good deeds, and the bad men and women to flourish for their crimes...what kind of city is that?"
"One that we all vowed to save, and I know Bruce...he will never give up on Gotham nor the people that got him to where he is today. Once he has healed...he is bound to get back to saving the city, he will come out in the light as the son of Gotham, he, you and I will bring about a new age in Gotham, an age where kids will feel safe playing outside, a city where good men and women will not suffer for standing up for what is right, a new Gotham that will not bend the knee to criminals - it is because of Bruce that our dream can finally to be a reality"
Gordon looks down as he feels his phone vibrate. He pulls it out from his overcoat and flips it open and sees a message from Lee *Check News ASAP!*. Gordon stands up and grabs the remote from the glass table between the two couches and turns the TV on and browses to the channel. The Commissioner almost drops the remote as he sees what Lee was warning him about. Harvey leans forward next to Jim as he too shared the same shocked expression.
They see Jerome smiling as he eerily looks to the camera " "To all my loyal followers out there, you know who you are! Do good old papa Jerome a favour and go wild - cause some hell and for you Jimbo? Don't think that I have forgotten 'bout you...I have plans for you too..."
"You won't get away with this...Batman will stop you"
"Uh-huh, sure thing, Bob. So Brucie...you remember where we last fought? I hear that the circus is back in town...what do you say? For old times sake...I heard that its been abandoned a while back and would make the perfect place four our play date?"
"Jim...that was Jerome Valeska...how is that even...possible?" Harvey Dent had to do a double check just to make sure that he wasn't just seeing things. The Commissioner holds his hands in the pockets of his overcoat and turns to Dent.
"I know...his grave was dug up yesterday...we were led to believe that it was just what little was left of his cult just playing a trick on us as a final laugh, but I had a dark feeling that he was really back, I have never felt as uneasy as when he's around...even his brother doesn't creep me out nearly as much" Gordon sighs, looking to the now static screen "So that must mean...that...that he was the one who killed Alfred..." he says, clearly knowing the truther behind the Alfred who died, but he was told to keep it hidden and so he was going to follow that instruction.
"You should probably go and stop him, he called Bruce to come to him, and with the pain that he is feeling right now...he may actually go there. I'll be fine here" Dent tells Jim. The commissioner nods as he rushes out of the room and out of the mansion; leaving Dent alone with the sleeping Harley. He pulls out his phone and dials it. He holds it to his ear and begins to pace around the room "Listen, Bruce. It's me...I just wanted to tell you that I was moved to Wayne Manner...Bruce..., I know that you are hurting Bruce...Alfred was a great men, one in a billion, but please...don't go to confront Jerome...he wants that. He wants to use your anger against you - this is all just a game to him, and he usually plays for keeps..." Dent worriedly speaks as he leaves his voicemail.
He turns his back to the presumed sleeping Harleen as she looks out from under the cover of the book as a smile forms on her lips.
Wayne Enterprise Tower
5: 11 PM
Lucius sat behind his desk as he looks through a pile of papers "Okay, Selina. I can see that you are around the city's limits, keep going on the same road and then take the first left on the highway, after that you should only take another thirty or so minutes to each the circus" he takes one of the papers and places it on the bottom of the pile and turns his attention to the new sheet on top "Make sure to keep an eye out for any trouble, no doubt that Jerome has gathered his loyal followers to cause as much...anarchy as possible"
"I'll keep on the lookout for any sign of them. Hey, Lucius. If Bruce would need to use the Batmobile or Batcycle to get there before me...shouldn't you be able to tell when he is using them? That should give me an idea of how much time I have" Selina asks from the other end.
"About that...Bruce must have figured that I was assisting you in this endeavour and locked me out of the Batcave's systems. He really doesn't want to be helped" Lucius reveals.
"Personally speaking. The people who don't want help are usually the ones who need it the most"
Lucius lifts his head from the papers as he hears a small number of knocks on his office. He stiffens up as he sees Talia enter with a folder held between her arm and sides. Her green eyes look over to Lucius and coins an intrigued look at the man. Lucius taps his earpiece "Selina, I have something to sort out. Keep me updated on anything developments" he takes the pile of papers and shoves them into the top drawer of his desk. He stands up out of his chair and brushes his suit off.
"Mr Fox, would you like to tell me what is so important that you must ignore messages?" Talia lifts an eyebrow as she walks over to Lucius' desk and throws the folder onto it. She turns around and sits down on the desk, crossing her legs and holding her chin up with the back of her left hand "Just like yourself, I am quite a busy person, I have my own things to oversee. So I would appreciate it if you actually took my calls instead of letting your secretary do all the talking for you"
"I would throw an apology your way, but I only like to do that when its sincere" Lucius picks up the file that the woman had dropped on the table and opens it "What's this? How the hell did you get access to this classified information? Only I and Mr Wayne should have it" Lucius ponders through multiple blueprints of all of Bruce's vigilante devices. He turns his head to her "This should be kept down in research and development, in the secret one in the tower, the one which needs personal handprints to access, and you sure as hell shouldn't be one of them"
"Bruce and I have a mutual agreement when it comes to trust. We may not be in line with the ways we go about things, but we can trust that we get them done in our own way" Talia bats her eyes and leans towards Lucius "He gave me access to it himself and that's why I have some concerns, concerns that I don't think bringing to the board's attention is a good idea, so my options were limited"
"And those concerns are?" Lucius inquires as he looks through the blueprints, sure enough, most of their projects were there. The Batcave layout, the entrances, the Batmobile, the Batcycle and even for a new aircraft that hasn't been finalized yet.
"Glad that you asked. See those lovely...secretive...and quite damning fires towards Bruce. So would you like to tell me just how these little things were found by one of my men? They were just found in one of the mob's Wearhouse - out in the open?" Talia rolls her eyes as she stands up and snatches the files away from Lucius "If only you, me, Bruce and Alfred have access to the files, then who was the one who took them out of the building? I know that it wasn't me, wasn't Bruce, couldn't have been Alfred...so...that only leaves you..." she steps closer taps Lucius' chest.
"Are you accusing me of betraying Bruce? I don't care how much he *trusts* you, I sure as hell have half the mind to throw you right out of this building" Lucius crosses his arms and glares at Talia "Let's get one thing straight, Miss...Ducard. Bruce is finally doing something to clean up Gotham, and I would never endanger that. He's the reason why I have hope for my son to actually have a peaceful life"
"I have no doubt that you are fully supportive of Bruce and his antics, but I never said that you willingly would do such an act of betrayal, a man with your morals would need to quite the convincing to cross that line...like something that can take away your will..." from behind she reaches her hand towards the cables to the computers.
"What are you getting at? I am a very busy man, I need to-"
"Mr Fox, when I told Bruce that the League of Shadows is all over the city, I meant it. Including this very building and they told me some very...interesting things about your activities here. Every so often you would just vanish from the room without being seen leaving the office. And if you were just as loyal as you claim, I doubt that you would do such a reckless act that could shine light upon both of Bruce's and your activities, right?" Talia smirks.
She rips out the cables from the computer and rams them in the back of the man's head; electrocuting him and knocking him unconscious as he slants over onto the desk. Talia walks around to the other side and looks at the scorch marks on the back of his head "I knew about the chip in your head. Don't worry you should be fine after you get some rest" she sits down into the chair behind the desk and smirks "Worry not, my people made sure that no one will disturb us. Sorry about the whole frying you thing, but it was the only to destroy the chip without making a mess"
The Batcave
5: 26 PM
A pair of armoured gloved hands graze over a group of files, clearly not meant to seen by him or anyone except for Sophia Falcone and her most trusted allies. He looks to one of the sheets, in particular, one that looked like it had the picture of a unique looking meteor on it that was taken from one of the space satellites. His interest greatly increased as he realizes that the only satellite powerful enough to take such an image would be his very own Wayne Enterprises one.
His fingers brush past the text beside the image; reading that it was estimated to be around over a year out from Earth and that is was predicted to land in Gotham. Looking from the information at hand, he sees that it is not a regular meteor, it also didn't resemble the ones that hit Smallville over two decades ago. This one was completely unique and Batman was absolutely stumped about its origins. He made a mental note to follow up on this case later.
When he went after Sophia Falcone, he was hoping to get information of Jerome, whether that being his whereabouts or his next move, he didn't imagine that she would have this in her possession, it made him think that the meteor must be important to her and the other crime bosses of Gotham. He really had no idea of what it could entail, but all he knew at the moment was that he didn't have the time to investigate it, he was still angry, hurting and shocked by it all.
"Hello, Brucie! This is your hourly reminder! Come to the carnival, we can have a picnic! We can go bumper carting! Heck...the tunnel of love? Please...don't keep me waiting, little Brucie...I miss you that frown of yours! Be there before 9...any later...and I will get bored...and I don't like getting bored! But I hope that you will see my plan as something...not to take lightly...something with more to it then just a another trip" Jerome's voice booms from the Batcomputer, being broadcasted all around the city.
The vigilante didn't even turn his head, he remains still, stationary.
His eyes look over to the side where his phone was placed. He reaches for his cowl and pulls it down over his head; revealing his face, his hair was still slicked back, but there were a lot more out of place strands on both the sides and the front. The bags under his eyes were much more noticeable as anyone from a mile away could see them. Bruce found it so strange how the reality of his condition only hits him when he removes his cowl, it's someone takes over him whenever he is in the suit, like something possesses him, something that takes away all the tiredness, the bruises and the jolted and misplaced breaths. Sometimes he wished that he could stay as Batman forever and just let Bruce Wayne go.
He uses his gloved left hand to pick up the phone and holds it to his ear. He hears it ringing as he waits for an answer on the other end "Bruce? Oh thank god, you had me worried" Gordon stresses in a tone that reminded him of when his father would be disappointed in him but still has the same warmth in his tone "Listen, Bruce. I take it that you have seen the news? Listen, do not go to confront Jerome. He is playing you and most likely set you up for a trap"
"Jim..." Bruce sighs as he drops his head "I have to go. He will kill innocents if I don't, I won't have any more lives on my conscience. If Jerome came back just to take me out...then it is going to be trip wasted. I have to do this, Jim,...he killed...Alfred...I can't walk away from that...that's not the man that he raised me to be..."
"...Bruce there is something that I need to tell you, but not over the line. I can't risk that information being eavesdropped on, get back to Wayne Manner, I'll come to see you after all this"
Bruce's eyes narrow "Jim...I'm not sitting this one out...Jerome needs to be stopped...once and for all..."
"Bruce? I know it's a lot to take in, but I need you to think clearly with me, alright? I can handle this, the GCPD can. Don't go around putting yourself in danger. You can trust me, Bruce" Gordon tries to reassure Bruce the best that he could, but he knew that he could only do so much, Bruce would have to make the choice on his own to come or not. Gordon didn't like it, but he knew that Bruce wouldn't put himself in a situation that he couldn't handle.
"Bruce? Are you still there...?" the commissioner asks concerned.
Bruce hangs up and throws the phone on to the table "There must be more to his plan than just calling me out. This whole thing reeks of a decoy, the circus is too far out of Gotham - that doesn't sound like something the Jerome that I knew were come up with" Bruce turns his head followed by the rest of his body as he faces the Batcomputer "He said that he would be there to meet me so that we could finish this, but Jerome gave the G.C.P.D a heads-up way too in advance, they get there before him..."
"Unless...he was telling the truth when he said that he would be there...but how would he...?" Bruce's eyes widen "Most of the G.C.P.D are heading to the circus right now...Gotham is practically defenceless. Jerome would never give up such a chance"
Wayne Manner
6: 34 PM
Rain and lightning storm outside, dripping down the windows of Wayne Manner. The grounds were occasionally struck with the quick flashes of thunder and lightning. The rain was heavy enough to keep the people of Gotham indoors. The wind was just as violent as every other element that moved over the city, trees, bushes and the grass were blown violently back and forth into a never-ending cycle of the elements playing with them.
"I don't know how you talked me into this..." Harvey Dent lies on his back on the couch as Harleen sits on the arm of it with her legs crossed and hands in her laps. The blonde smiles down to the man and tilts her glasses "I know that things have been a little stressful lately...well...really, really stressful, but I'm fine. I think Bruce could use your psychology mojo a lot more than I do right now" Harvey tells Harleen as he holds his arms close to his chest.
"I think Bruce has a lot more pressin' matters right now, he is sure gonna be a goner if he chooses to actually meet with Jerome. I don't think that Bruce will make it long enough to reap the benefits of my *psychology mojo*" Harleen notes.
"Don't worry about that. I know Bruce, he is smart enough to know to hang back and let the GCPD do their jobs, he is a best behind the frontlines rather than charging right onto the battlefield. I'm sure that he is back on his way here as we speak" Harvey fiddles with the coin in his hand "Yet again, he does that quite the saviour complex. It wouldn't destroy my suspension of disbelief if he were to go...but I hope that he knows better than that"
Harleen's eyes look to the coin that was being rubbed between the man's thumb and index finger "That coin of yours. I notice how you seem very attached to it, is there a particular reason why that might be?" she asks. Dent lifts his head, looking at her. He opens up his right hand to display the coin in his palm.
"This thing?" Harvey nods "Yeah...my old man gave it to me...he said that money could drive people to make decisions without even thinking of an alternative way" he holds the con between his fingers "This little thing is two-faced, two heads. He told me that with this I can make my own chance if I was dealing with a difficult choice, I just flip the coin and voilà - I made my choice, fate doesn't get in the way of this District Attorney" Harvey explains with a smile.
"I see" Harleen leans over "So you use that coin to make decisions for you? Pretty smart that it is double-sided, that way you can always be sure of the outcome" Harleen observes. The rain that pelts against the glass of the windows was somewhat soothing, which wouldn't be if she was stood outside to bare all the raging elements. She was well aware of Gotham's tendency for very bad weather. She was living in the city now for almost going on five years and she could swear that she did not see a single sunny day.
"Yep, that's what this little doohickey is for"
"Or is that just somethin' that you are tellin' yourself from comin' to terms with the real reason that use constantly use that coin to make your decisions" Harleen adjusts her glasses as she converses with the man lying down.
"What'd you mean?"
"Well from speakin' as a professional, I am not going to sugar code what I think the reason between that coin is" Harleen looks at the window as lightning strikes on the outside end "Mr Dent, I believe that you need to use the coin is not to prove that fate has no grasp on you, in fact, I believe that the exact opposite is true in this case" she takes off her glasses and places them on the table next to them "I have good reason to suspect that the origin of the coin's purpose is to hide your insecurities. For instance, you may feel that the weight of the choices that you make may be too much for you to bare, maybe those difficult choices that you have to make have gotten to you way worse than you thought"
"I-I don't understand what you are trying to say-?"
"Allow me to rephrase what I said," the blonde scratches her nose, "I say that coin rules you. It has some kind of hold over you, like a temptation. Allow me to explain, hypothetically speakin', if you were to use that coin to make a decision that would result in the death of someone, you may believe you can feel less guilt as you view the coin as makin' the choice and you were just goin' along with it, maybe it's the reason that you can walk around with such a clear conscience"
"That's a greatly over-exaggerated scenario. Something like that has never happened" Harvey protests.
"Yes, I'm aware - that's why I said *hypothetically speakin'*, Mr Dent" she taps the man on his shoulder "But from your reaction, I can tell that I must be on the mark. Mr Dent, you must be aware of your own insecurities, there is nothin' wrong with feeling like that, but know that I'm here to talk to, and as a bonus - I am actually qualified to engage in such topics"
"Okay, okay! I'll admit it - with all my years as an attorney, I got myself in a lot of hot water with most people in the city. They didn't appreciate me digging my node into their illegal dealings, and hated me, even more, when I refused to take bribes once they realized me as a threat. Luckily I was too well known for them to kill me - that would have been way too much attention for them - even if it means getting me out of their way" Harvey takes a deep breath "All of the constant fear of being killed or...worse, made me question every move that I made, every choice and every time I should call it quits or peruse with the case"
"That's understandable, everyone in your shoes would be just as scared"
"It wasn't just for my duties of being an attorney. I had to decide what to eat and drink. I was scared that my food would have been poison or that my drink was drugged. I was also worried about where I should cross the road, in fear that a car would just come out of nowhere and run me over - they could have made that look like an accident. I couldn't make do with making my own decisions because as I always scared that I would make the wrong call..."
"All the pressure that you were under, all the constant questionin' of yourself and your actions - Mr Dent, if you don't mind me askin'...do you happen to be bipolar? Harleen inquires.
"Yeah...I was diagnosed a long time ago. It was told that it was nothing to worry about and that its effects would be mild at most"
"Well under the right circumstances and proper consideration, Bipolar can be quite harmless and non-intrusive on your day-to-day life, however with all the emotional distress that you have been exposed to over the years could very well of exasperated its effects. You cannot trust yourself to make the right decision, so you let the coin make the desired outcome for you to exempt yourself from all the bad things that could come from that choice"
"Okay...Okay" Harvey sits up straight "I have been having trouble lately, with the whole city thinking that I am a killer...how just over one night, all the good that I have done for the city is just ignored. How the press is more than happy to throw me under the bus so they can sell papers - it makes me wonder if I have even made a single bit of difference in this city" he clenches the coin tightly "I am starting to think that there are no good people left in Gotham, everyone is just so clearly two-faced, backstabbing the people who want to help them over and over...and then act as if they care..." he slightly growls.
Harleen sits beside them and slides her hand over Dent's and the coin in it "That's the doubt talking, Harvey. I can help you overcome it, but you are goin' to need to trust me. That coin has become your greatest enemies, not the press, nor the people - even not the crime families. They say that you are your own worst enemy and I think you got a front row seat to experience it, you are a lot stronger than this, Harvey - you don't need the coin" Harleen goes to scoop up the coin in her hand above Harvey's.
Harvey quickly moved his hand away and concealed the coin in a closed fist "What are you doing?"
"I said that you need to trust me, right? I need you to give me that coin...you need time without it. Trust me, you will see that you are completely fine without it"
"You want to take my coin? This was my father's, I just can't-"
"I'm not going to keep it, Harvey - I am going to take care of it for a little while so that you can adjust without it. I'll give it back when it's over, I promise" Harley holds her palm out "Don't worry about the others knowing about this. I am very firm on doctor-patient confidentiality, this will be kept between the two of us" Harleen consoles the man.
"You...promise to keep good care of it?" Harvey nervously asks.
"Of course I will. I'll guard it with my life" Harleen agrees.
"I-I need-more time...to...think this over...can I have...more time?" he stumbles over his words.
"Take as much time as you need"
Outskirts of Gotham
5: 34 PM
Selina walks through a dilapidated hall of mirrors, with each one showing some sign of cracks and cobwebs. She turns her head to give her a good idea of her surroundings, the ceiling was covered in some sort of fungus with the hard rain from outside causing leakage from within the insides, small slippery wet patches cover parts of the black and white tile flooring with that too being broken with some tiles missing entirely "Lucius? Are you back yet? If you can hear me, I've already searched most of this place - and there's no sign of Jerome, not even any of his whacky followers. It would be really nice if you could get back to me" her eyes look onward to the centre of the room which was surrounding in the broken mirrors.
Her eyes fall upon a wooden crooked chair in the centre which had something hidden under a white sheet sat in it "Even more creepy" Selina notes to herself as she gradually made her way to the chair. As she was brought into arms lengths, she reached out her hand and grabbed the white sheet "Please don't be what I think it is" she takes a deep breath before throwing the sheet off of the chair. Her eyes widen at the absolutely grotesque before her, what she saw was one of the most disgusting things she could have ever imagined.
She brings her hand to cover her mouth, coughing and forcing herself to look away from it. In the chair sat a decayed person, covered in worms and maggots that were crawling all over their skin and through there eye sockets. The body must have been dead for a very long time as the smell was unbearable and a brand new kind of sickly that greeted the dark-haired woman. Half of the rotten skin was missing and the bones from the skeleton underneath poked through the patches of missing flesh.
Whoever it was appeared to be dressed in a white overcoat, though dirty and covered in all kind of parasites that warmed around the suit. Finally gathering enough will power, Selina managed to force her head towards the body once more and was left to see the horrid sight once again. She notices a plastic bag placed on the man's waist. Selina shakes her head and snatches it away from the man, not wanting to give the bugs any chance to get on her. She sees that there was a tape recorder in the bag. She turns her back to the rotten corps and takes the recorder out of the plastic bag.
"Oh...hell no..." she plays the tape...