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Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I had an idea and decided to take a break from Bruce and Diana. It's short so don't be mad. I don't own anything. Please, I want criticism, leave a review. Also, thanks to my editor/beta reader. Enjoy.
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They came to a stop at a red light, it was dark out and the red glow was blurred by the rain hitting the patrol car's windshield. Sam turned to his partner who was driving the car.
"I guess what they say is true, Fred."
"What do they say?"
"Metropolis gets a spittin', Gotham gets a downpour."
"Whatever, Sam. Half the country's gettin' rain."
"Yeah, but some less than others."
The police car was a cozy shelter from the dark, cold, wet world outside. As the light turned green they accelerated and the heavy raindrops hit harder and more frequently thanks to the vehicle driving into them. They turned a corner and adjusted to the high beams of another car coming down the road.
"Although that saying really isn't about the weather." Sam tried to make conversation once again.
"Of course not, it's talkin' about Gotham's 'ill-fortune' compared to Metropolis. They have a mugging, we have a triple-murder; government imposes budget cuts, their streets are a little dirtier, we lose cops; they get an invincible alien, we get an ill-tempered furry."
"He's more than that you know."
"Oh right. Sorry, mister, 'Batman inspired me to be a cop'. Why didn't you just dress up and run on rooftops like him?"
Sam scowled. "I would never be so prideful. The Batman isn't there to be emulated, he's there to give other people a chance at a normal life."
"Yeah right. Probably just gets a hard on from beating up criminals."
Sam was about to defend his hero, when Fred pointed at something in front of them that captivated their attention. Shadowy figures were running crates from a truck into a building. Fred turned off the headlights in the hopes that they had not been spotted yet. They pulled over and got out of the car, the rain masked the doors shutting and their approach, but they were soon spotted anyway. The thugs froze for a minute, looked at the cops, then at each other, and finally ran into the building. Sam could feel the rain seeping into his shoes as he approached the crates they had been carrying.
Sam looked at Fred and shrugged. "Reasonable cause?"
"Go for it. I don't care and I won't report you even if it isn't."
Sam turned on his flashlight and pried open a crate. He motioned for Fred to come take a look, there were automatic weapons and kilos of cocaine sitting right next to each other. All wrapped up like a gift to the DA.
Fred motioned toward the building the two thugs had gone in and shrugged. "Reasonable cause?"
Sam nodded. They both drew their weapons and approached the door, their feet now sloshing through the rain.
Fred reached for his radio and held down the talk button. "Possible need of backup on Pinewood South Boulevard. We have confirmed a 11352 and a 12020, approaching with caution."
The radio crackled and responded. "10-4. Units enroute."
Sam stood back to provide cover as Fred tried the door. After twisting the knob Fred shook his head in frustration and aimed his gun at the lock. A flash momentarily lit up the run-down street and a sound finally overpowered the pounding of the rain. They breached the building which appeared to be an old, one-story office and began sweeping the rooms. They found nothing until they reached a room from which a light emanated. They stood on either side of the door and looked at each other. Both of them were sweating profusely.
"You're under arrest! Come out with your hands behind your head!" Sam shouted into the room.
A few moments passed with no response. Right when Sam was about to repeat himself, all the lights in the building came on. Both cops blinked and rubbed their eyes. When their eyes had adjusted half a dozen thugs with automatic rifles stood in front of them, they had clearly used another door to get out of the room. A short, well-dressed man carrying an umbrella shortly joined the thugs.
"I was hoping you two were on my payroll and you would turn around and drive the other way. Why you're even on Bradley Way escapes me, my records show you were supposed to turn another street down onto Pinewood. No matter, kill them and dispose of the bodies."
Sam thought quickly and seeing there was cover in the form of a hallway nearby dived for it, hoping Fred would follow suit. The gunshots started while he was still in the air. He got up and looked behind him, Fred had followed him, but had been shot in the leg attempting to do so. He helped Fred up and supported him while they both fired backwards to discourage the thugs from turning the corner. This seemed to work as no one came after them initially. However, soon enough the thugs were reaching the gun around the corner and shooting blindly in order to avoid getting shot.
The two cops miraculously hobbled around the next bend without getting shot and made their way toward a nearby exit. Sam could hear the thugs running toward them as they burst out into an alleyway, Fred falling into the street. Fred grunted as he got back up.
Sam cursed. "Where's our backup?"
"I told them Pinewood," Fred inhaled sharply. "We took a wrong turn, we're on Bradley like the psychopath said."
Sam cursed again, the rain weighing down their clothes even further as they half ran, half limped down the alley. One of the thugs burst out of the building and began firing down the alley at them. Sam knew what he had to do. He shoved Fred behind a dumpster and fired at the thug. Three shots and the man dropped, but had already been replaced by another.
"GO!" Sam shouted.
Fred looked at him in horror as he crawled away. There were now two thugs trying to find their mark, clearly they were inexperienced with automatic weaponry as they hit mostly brick. Sam fired and hit another one. Once Fred was no longer taking up the only cover, he ducked behind the dumpster, trying to stay covered while simultaneously drawing the small army's fire.
He heard the voice of the infamous Penguin at the other end of the alley. "You have got to be kidding me! It's only 30 yards!"
Sam peeked out and saw the Penguin aiming a handgun down the alley, not at him, but at Fred. He jumped out from behind cover. He did not feel it at first, but he did after he hit the ground. The warmness of his blood contrasted the creeping cold of death.
"Bloody Hell! Go get the other one! Don't just stand there!"
Sam watched on, his vision slowly blurring as the thugs ran toward Fred and riddled him with bullets. A tear rolled down his face, made invisible by the rain, and with his last moments of consciousness he saw the armed men coming toward him. I always thought he would save me in a situation like this, but he knew it was the fantasy of a child. Guess the Batman is too busy for the likes of me...at least I wasn't afraid in the end.
Robin scanned their surroundings from a rooftop. "I thought a police cruiser requested backup from around here."
"One did," Nightwing replied.
"Well, then where's the cruiser?"
They heard gunshots the next street down, far off to their left. Both of them reacted instantly, grappling across the street and running along the rooftops toward the sound. Automatic gunfire continued as they approached; the duo ran faster. It soon became apparent where the shots were coming from, once muffled by walls they now came from outside and split the night. They leaped onto the rooftop of an old office building and ran across it, the gunshots stopped. The heroes looked into the alley below and analyzed the situation inhumanly fast. Two cops on the ground, four armed gunmen. They jumped down and disabled the gunmen in a matter of seconds. The vigilantes split up to check on the cops, both were dead.
Nightwing threw the breakers on the building and they breached sneaking around to clear the building. No one was inside. Screeching tires and a car's engine revving betrayed the rapid escape of someone outside. They found guns and drugs everywhere. Each of them picked up a few samples to take back to the cave and then went back outside to check the thugs.
Robin straightened up from the bent position he was inspecting an unconscious thug in. "Definitely Penguin's men."
"Definitely. Come on, let's get back to the cave and come up with a game plan."
Dick called Bruce on his communicator once they arrived at the cave.
"Uh, Batman…"