While Alex was working at the RSS Batman had contacted him in private saying that he'd wanted to meet up with him after dark but for whatever reason was withheld from Alex. He assumed it would be another of their 'Talks' about his operating procedures, how he was a bad influence on his wards, or about how he had lost credibility by ignoring his original mission and allowing both Ivy and Harley to not only be spared death or imprisonment but instead allowed them to operate freely as members of his team (at least in the case of one of them so far). Either way Alex was expecting an ass chewing but what he got was quite the opposite.
"Sergeant, I'd like to apologize to you. I haven't been fair with you since our first meeting and treated you with distrust, but after seeing all that you've accomplished I've realized that I was wrong about you and for that I apologize." Yeah definitely not what Alex was expecting from the Dark Knight.
"Whoa whoa, back up. What brought this on?"
"Think about it Sergeant, Two-Face and his gang are off the streets, Riddler and Joker are dead, and Ivy's turning her back on her old ways all because of you, not me. When we first met at the docks I assumed you were just another man with a gun out for blood, and while you have killed people you do so with restraint, sparing lives when possible. But above all else you've shown compassion, even to your enemies and that's what separates us from everyone else who would take the law into their own hands. I know that you're working for the DOD and following their orders and while I don't agree with them you've done what you could to make the best of the situation."
Alex wasn't sure compassion would be the right word choice but he'd take it. However he did appreciate being promoted from the 'guy with gun' to the 'us' catagory. The way Alex saw it, he acted no different than a Police Officer would, he followed proper rules of engagement, and didn't cause unnecessary suffering. The only difference is that his job is officially unofficial, if that makes sense.
"Ha, you should tell that to my adviser sometime. I get the feeling that he disapproves of me every time I make a decision without consulting him first."
"I'm sure he's just looking out for your best interest. I was the same way with Dick, back when he was Robin, but that eventually drove us apart. I try to be more lenient with Tim and Barbara but after what happened to Jason…sometimes I think they'll get themselves killed as well."
"Uh, not to go too far off topic but you did just tell me your sidekicks names. I mean I figured out who Barbara was on my own, but I still didn't know who Robin or his predecessors were."
"Your trustworthy Sergeant, besides I only gave you their first names." He said with what Alex could have sworn was a smile but he's sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, Batman never smiles.
"So does that mean I get to know who..."
"No."
"Fair enough, but back to what you were saying I can relate. When I was a PFC and Lance Corporal my seniors would always harp on me about the smallest things, 'Westbrook your standing too close to that door, Westbrook your calculations on that charge were slightly off, Westbrook you suck at shooting' and so on. It was the most annoying thing ever but because of them constantly harping on me I learned how to be sufficient on my own and after my first deployment, when I got promoted to Corporal I taught my Junior Marines the same way and they turned into outstanding Marines. So, what I'm trying to say is that you can only teach them so much but after that you gotta trust them to hopefully make the right choices on their own. I know it was scary for me to go on my second deployment and be in charge of Marines that time, to lead them into battle and possibly their deaths. Sure, I had experience from my first deployment but it was the training my NCO's gave me that allowed me to effectively lead and thankfully we all made it back home that time."
"I guess you're right, Barbara's capable enough to make her own decisions without me looking over her all the time, and if she wants to spend her time helping you then that's her choice."
"Wow, wish my parents had been as understanding about my choices as you are about hers."
"Your parents didn't approve of you joining the military? I'd think most would have been proud of their children."
"Well they weren't, they thought I was going to throw my life away and die in some desert fighting for oil. They'd always compare me to Harleen before I left home, 'Alex why can't you get a scholarship like Harleen, she's going places and you're just going to die in the desert because you want to kill people.' Well guess what guys, I went over there twice and I'm still here, didn't get shot once but how many bullets has Harleen taken? Two. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, right? And yeah, I killed people but that's not why I joined up. I'm not stupid but I also wasn't smart like Harleen was growing up, hell she graduated high school early and got into GCU on a gymnastics scholarship while I was still a sophomore in high school. I didn't have the grades to get a scholarship like she did and even I couldn't pay for college on my own so I enlisted, I'd do my four years, get out, have my schooling paid for with the G.I. Bill and move on with my life. At least that was the original plan. Then shit happened and I wound up reenlisting cause what was the point in getting out if the only person who gave a fuck about me lost her goddamn mind and hopefully I'd go back to Afghan or some other country and die in a firefight that time but no such fucking luck!" Alex ranted, his volume increasing as he went on, before spinning around and punching the nearest wall, which he wouldn't recommend doing cause it hurt like a motherfucker.
"Sorry I brought it up." Batman man said as Alex gripped his busted hand in pain. Fuck, he hadn't had an emotional outburst like that in years, it had to be all the stress he'd been through building up or something like that but he couldn't let the head Bat know that it was getting to him so he played it off.
"Don't be. If there's one thing I learned from Harleen it's that it's good to vent like that, helps get the bad thoughts outta my mind." Alex said through clenched teeth but the look Batman was giving him said he wasn't buying that lame excuse.
"Do you often have bad thoughts?" Every other day now that Alex thought about it but that's not what he tells him.
"Do you have a degree in psychotherapy?" Alex snaps.
"Point taken. But you shouldn't keep things bottled up like that."
"Yeah yeah, look I worked out my issues with the Chaplain years ago, and gotta clean bill of mental health. I'm good alright?" Alex replied dismissively. He took the hint and changed the subject of the conversation.
"So, what's the official story with Harley, that explosion may have made it hard to cover up our involvement."
"Not as hard as you'd think actually. Officially, she and Joker got into an argument after a botched encounter with you, things got heated and he shot her as she got into a vehicle to leave. She then sought protection from me at the RSS where I treated her injury before you came to pick her up after tailing her. The explosion resulted from a gas line being struck from the ricochet of the bullet Harley was shot with which consumed the building and all occupants inside. Meanwhile at the hospital Harley requested to be placed under our protection in exchange for information."
"I thought you guys were going to place her on trial for past crimes?"
"They were originally but General Anderson called in some favors and got her pardoned on account of the damage done to her psyche by the Joker, which by the way we'll need some testimonials from you and the others to help back that up. She'll still spend time at the brig but will be receiving mental health counseling before going on a medical board to determine if she's to be declared sane at which point she will be cleared to reintegrate into society."
"You mean she'll come back here and join you, right? From my understanding that was the agreement made with your advisor."
"That is correct. It's not what I wanted for her but she'll be enrolled in the DOD in an advisory capacity just like Ivy was."
"And how much paperwork did it take to get Ivy that position I wonder?"
"A fuckin lot. Anderson told me he had to jump through so many legal hoops just to get her pardoned. She's been quiet for a while now but do you know how much shit is in her record from when she was going around being all evil? Cause I do, two-hundred and forty-nine separate entries, and that's just within the boundaries of the continental U.S. Yeah, pretty sure the General hates me for putting that on him but hey, it all worked out, right? One less villain in Gotham so mission accomplished!"
"I gotta say I was surprised to see her working with you the other night, she's not one to trust other people."
"Yeah well how surprised do you think I was that she contacted me in the first place? She must really care about Harley, if the lengths she's gone to help get her away from Joker are anything to go by."
"Mmm, they've been trouble when they paired up before but if she's serious about starting over, using her powers for good, then I suppose we should all be happy. Ivy is one of the most dangerous villains I've ever faced so it'll be a welcome change to have her on our side. If she's sincere that is."
"She's done good so far, mind you she's being supervised almost twenty-four seven, but I have no doubt she'll turn out just fine. Or you know, she could just die. That could happen too. Not by me though, I mean not without provocation that is, but…shit I'm rambling huh?"
"Only slightly. Don't worry I'll be keeping an eye on her while your out of state."
"You know I bet my odd behaviors got something to do with all that exposure to Ivy, she's got those pheromones, right? Cause I've been feeling light headed lately and I coulda sworn my hand had a greenish tinge to it earlier." Alex said, holding up his hand good hand to examine it closely but it was its normal, slightly tanned color. "Weird."
"More than likely your just lacking sleep."
"Probably right. Well thanks again for the talk, catch ya later."
"Anytime Sergeant."
Alex then left Batman and drove back home to his apartment where, after a quick range of motion test determined his hand was not broken, he sat on the couch and turned on the Xbox. Usually slaying prepubescent teenagers on Call of Duty was a good stress reliever for Alex but it just wasn't doing the trick tonight even though he did find it humorous when one kids mom started yelling at them over the mic, so after finishing another game he switched off the console and sat in silence for a while but Alex soon realized he needed a distraction lest he go mad with his own thoughts.
That's when he remembered the pistol he'd captured from the Joker and how hideous it was. Alex got up from the couch and entered the armory, retrieving the weapon from the cage he'd put it in and placed it on the workbench. It truly was an ugly weapon, the frame and slide were stained purple while the trigger, safety, hammer, and slide release were gold-plated and to top it off the hand grips were made of a pearlescent white material. Tacky in every sense of the word, but at its core it was still a Colt .45 and Alex wouldn't let such a weapon remain tarnished by the Joker. Refurbishing the weapon would become his new pet project which kept him up all night and through the next day.
After breaking the weapon down to its primary components, Alex started by returning the frame and slide to their original gunmetal grey color then replacing the gold-plated components with parts of the same color resulting in a more tactical looking weapon, however the grips would need to be replaced once he ordered them.
After admiring the progress made, Alex came to the realization that he personally didn't need the weapon, as he already had his own sidearm so he figured he could gift it to one of his friends however that was a difficult choice. Barbara and Robin probably wouldn't make use of it, batman would likely put it on display in the Batcave, and Ivy had no use for weapons since she had the environment at her disposal which left Harley. She was familiar with the use of handguns and she would need one once she was cleared to join the team.
That's when Alex got the idea to customize the weapon with her in mind and present it to her upon completion of the training she'd receive once on the team. With that in mind he placed an order for custom grips, nothing flashy like the previous ones, and sent in the slide for custom engravings, which turned out to be an expensive investment but hey he felt quite good about himself by the time he was done and he had completely forgotten why he had been upset earlier.
Alex checked the estimated wait time on the parts ordered and saw that they'd be finished by the time we got back from California, well if they actually make it there without being killed first that is. But then again if he was dead he wouldn't have to put up with any of this anymore, hmm…Naw Alex was past trying to get himself killed especially since he was so close to getting his friend back.
As the transfer would be seen by the public it was only Alex tagging along with a group of Law Enforcement Marines brought in from Camp Lejeune. Ivy had protested initially, wanting to be there for her friend but while she was a DOD advisor now it would take some time for the world to see that she had truly changed her ways so instead the General had tasked her to work with Batman while they were in Cali. It was a sound strategy on his part, Ivy being seen working with Batman would earn her some goodwill from the public and it allowed her to be kept in check. So, despite having his work cut out for him these next few days Alex was actually feeling relaxed once he had time to clear his head and for the first time in a while he finally felt like his life was taking a turn in the right direction, but oh how wrong he was.
…Mission Complete…