Chapter 15

Barsad

He was kneeling down beside Conner's lifeless corpse. He had been shot twice, the first was in his chest the second was a headshot. When the smoke cleared and the gun shots ceased. Everything happened so fasted; Kate slammed his jaw straight up by surprise that he bit into his tongue. Blood was running down his chin. He waited only a minute or two when Ivan, Micah and Arben arrived first to the back up call.

By then he wasn't sure where Kate had gone. There were at least a dozen doors in the hall way. He went left when he thought he heard a door close in one of apartments ahead. Barsad led the way and was followed by Micah, Ivan and then Arben. That's when the smoke grenade was tossed into the hall by the stair way entrance. He pulled his red scarf over his face and waved to the others then ran into the nearest apartment.

From behind the door they heard a few shots fired. Then an explosion went off. Barsad heard another smoke canister hit the wall, bounce and roll down the hall. They remained in the room when more shots went off. Everything was calm for a moment, he listened then heard something drop and roll right outside the door. Instantly he knew what it was.

"GRENADE!" He shouted and leaped back from the door for cover. The loud bang was behind him, he was down his belly as debris flew in all directions. Bits and chunks fell around him. He slowly looked up to see the aftermath. The room was a cloud of dust; he kept his scarf over his nose. He looked around, everything was caked in dirt and pieces of rocks scattered the floor. His ears were still ringing. He scanned his surroundings when the dust came down he saw the others laying him.

Ivan was the first to cough and sit up, then Arben and Micah. Barsad took a few moments to let the ringing and spinning come to a halt before he stood up. The door and wall of the apartment had been ripped apart. He slowly walked out into the hall trying to focus; His rifle was out and loaded. The hall was also a thick cloud of dust. He turned around when he heard footsteps behind.

"It's only me." Arben said with his hands up. Barsad nodded then continued.

Up ahead he saw two bodies in the hall. He walked slowly, gun out front. He finally was it was as he stood over them he saw Conner and Johan. Conner wasn't moving; He glanced over at Johan he didn't appear to be breathing.

"Conner and Johan are down." He said to Arben behind him. Arben stopped and kneeled down to Conner checking his vital signs. "Conner's dead." He said then looked up at Barsad. He walked past them and went further down the hall where he saw a small over turned camping burner, Skillet and a few empty rounds on the floor. There was a door wide open at the end of the hall, He peeked in. there was no one, then he saw the trail of dirt as if someone had been dragged to the back room. He followed it and it led to a bedroom.

He walked in and saw a hole in the wall going into the next apartment. He breathed heavily when he saw Kate's tactical vest on the floor. This was a rescue mission he realized. Commissioner Gordon and the other cops had set the trap and they fell right into it. He went through the wall and looked around the next apartment in the kitchen he found another hole in the floor. There was a ladder leading down. He lay down on his stomach on the floor pulled his rifle out to see the room through the scope. No one was home. He went down the ladder to the second floor and saw the front door slightly opened. He slowly walked to it and the hall was empty.

They were long gone by now. They had made enough time to get in and out of the building. From the drag marks up stairs he figured Kate was knocked out cold. He stared down the empty hall. Kate was gone. He turned around back in the apartment then up the ladder to the third floor and out again.

He looked down the hall saw Johan sitting up leaning against the wall coughing out dust from his lungs. Micah, Riley and Ivan were moving Conner's Body from the hall. Arben was checking Johan arm. Johan was the first to see Barsad as he walked toward them. He smiled then glanced to his shoulder.

"You alright?" Barsad asked kneeling down beside Johan he didn't say a word he just grid his teeth together. Barsad reached over and looked at his shoulder and saw that was dislocated. Barsad shook his head and chuckled. "You ready for this?" he asked. Arben looked at Barsad then before Johan could answer they shifted his shoulder back in place. Johan grin then then let a long exhale. Barsad padded his other shoulder then pulled a cigarette from his pocket, tossed a few broken sticks then found two that weren't damaged and lite them both handing the other to Johan.

Johan took a long drag then leaned back against the wall. "It was a trap." He said looking Barsad in the eye. Barsad looked down, "Yea, it appears they were after Kate." He said looked over at Arben. Riley, Micah and Ivan returned. Barsad was standing and leaning against the wall. "Here's what happened." He said and motioned them to follow them the four ways in the hall.

"They wanted to separate us. Kate was here first after she clocked me in the jaw. Something lured her to this end of the hall. led her to into this Apartment. From here, there had to be someone else in another room, probably the one across the hall who tossed the first smoke grenade to keep us blinded. By then we were on the other end of the hall. The second grenade was thrown over there not far from this door. The blow back hit Kate which means she was right by the door when it went off. She was knocked out from the impact another person had set the burner and pan with live rounds to make it appear that they were still here." He said pointing to the pan and burner. He walked them into the apartment to show them the drag marks of dirt and footprints leading to the back room.

Micah knelt down and looked the footprints in the dust on the floor, "It looks like there must have been two, maybe three guys in here, the sizes and impression are different." He said. Barsad looked back.

"It was a team job." Riley said. Barsad had figured as much

"So someone dragged her body this far which goes next door." He explained as they walked into the room and saw the huge hole in the wall. "They took off her vest, probably to make the transfer easier; they slip her through the next hole in the floor of the kitchen." He pointed out kneeling down by the hole in the floor and pointing at the ladder.

"In the time it took them, they must've had a big man to carry her. She's small and probably doesn't weight much." Riley said as he glanced from the hole in the floor then to the door.

They climbed down the ladder one at a time then gathered in the living room and saw the furniture had been shoved to the far side of the room. "They came through here then back out. Possibly back down the stairs then out the same way they came." Barsad said looking out in the hall. Riley stepped forward, "Bane isn't going to like this." He said. Barsad stared down the hall. "I know it." He replied.

Micah was still on the second floor when he peeked down at them from the hole. "That, Or they planted the vest to through us off." He said. Barsad turned around then looked up at Micah. "How you figure that?" he asked.

Micah motioned back up the stairs. Barsad was first through the hole. "What did you find?" he asked. Micah pointed to back to the front door of the apartment. "It's wide open. They must had planted the vest then went that way." He said. Barsad nodded then slowly and quietly he picked out Riley, Arben and Ivan to follow him out into the hall. They took their time checking the lock on a few doors. They came to the four ways in the hall, Barsad glanced down all four.

Then motioned Riley to take the hall on the north side, Ivan went west and Micah was side to the south end of the hall. Barsad watched them then Riley called out after him. "They went out this way." He said. Barsad eyed him then looked down the stairs and saw the door was held opened but a chain to the rail. They went down the steps and saw tire tracks in small snow that hadn't melted away. They were gone.

They stayed out in the alley and waited for the others to arrive with the truck they requested for to transport Conner's body back to City Hall. Barsad kept his distance from the others. He kept smoking until he was out of his pack. He was angry, as crazy at it seemed. She was his and they had no right to take her away. Bane would be angrier than he was right now.

Jim

Everything went according to plan. He was thankful that they suffered no causalities, everyone would return to their families tonight. Kate had hit her head pretty hard on the floor. A few bruises here and there but she was alive. Michaels had to carry her to the truck then drove her the entire way back to the hide out. She was pretty small and didn't weight much. She looked a lot thinner than from the last time he had seen her at the hospital. Her hair was matted as if she hadn't bathed in a while, dirt on her face and hands. He was caught off guard by the AK47 but then again every other man in Bane's army carried one like it.

Blake had made room in the basement on the couch. He brought down extra blankets and covered her in them to keep warm. Foley and Izzo were a little uneasy about having her here at the recent hide out. He didn't care, he was just glad to have her back.

"She'll be out for a while." Said Blake as Jim sat down in a small stool beside the couch. Jim nodded then rubbed her head gently. "I'll stay down here tonight just in case. She'll have questions and she'll be hungry." He said and motioned to the small tray of food on the table. Blake smiled for a moment then pulled another chair to the table and sat down.

Jim eyed curiously. "If you're staying down here, so am I." said Blake taking off his coat and as he made himself comfortable. Jim smiled then looked back at Kate. He was happy to have her back. When he felt he lost everything, Kate had been there to pick up the pieces. She looked different. Something about her was just different he had caught a glimpse of it in the alley. He hadn't mentioned his personal fear to anyone. But he was afraid that it was already too late for Kate.

"What was she like before all this?" Blake asked suddenly that it caught Jim of guard. He paused for a moment to think about it. "She was a handful at first." Jim finally said as he stared at Kate while she slept.

"I didn't know her as a child, just what Gerry had shared with me while on patrol. It was after Gerry's death that she actually came to me. Elaine her mother had taken everything pretty hard. She became an alcoholic; And Kate was entering her teen years and was getting into all sorts of trouble." Jim explained remembering the when Barbara got a call from Elaine that Kate had gotten into a physical altercation at her school.

"She was angry all the time. Then she became too much for her mother to handle. So Barbara and I agreed to adopt Kate. Elaine had no issues with that. Kate was living with us for a year when her mother overdosed on prescription pills." Jim said staring off onto the floor. He remembered that phone call. It was difficult explaining to Kate, but she had no emotions left in her at that time. She didn't cry once.

"Things were the same for a while when she first came to us. She was rebellious all through middle school and the first two years of high school." Jim said then paused for a moment, "She had this boyfriend for two years. Kid was nothing but trouble; I knew that if she stayed with him. He would have ruined her life entirely. Leo Morales, Worse possible kind you can imagine. He was dealing for a while, dropped out of school. Kate thought she was in love, so on day when she didn't come home, I had every squad out there looking for her. Three days. I got word that Morales had been seen at a local pawn shop not three blocks from here. Kate was seen with him. They had broken into a house uptown. Owners were vacationing out of the country; they were high when we arrested them. That was the first and only time I ever shouted at her." Jim laughed to himself then looked back at Kate who was still asleep. "I drove her to the station and processed her like any other, and then I left in overnight in a holding cell. The next day she was mad, so I drove to the diner that Gerry and I use to go to and laid everything down for. She could continue down this road and leave my home. Or she could go to school and stay. I reminded her that we were the family that she had left. She graduated top in her class, went to Virginia for Criminal Justice. Four years later she was graduating and applying to the Bureau." Jim said with such pride. He finally looked up at Blake who remained quiet.

"She means a lot more to you than I thought." Blake mumbled as he glanced over to Kate. Jim nodded back with a smile. "I did my best by Gerry. And Kate has done the same with my family. The children look up to her, Barbara loves her. She's means a lot to my family. She is my family." Said Jim as he continued to stare at the wall passed Blake.

"I won't let Bane tare her apart." Jim said again. Then he pulled the covers up to Kate's chin.

Blake

For moment he envy what Kate Messner had. She had everything, a family that loved and cared a great deal about her. She had a career. She had what Blake never had from the very beginning. He had a family once but it was never a family. Kate had a great father who seemed like everything that Jim Gordon was and maybe more.

But from what he had seen over the last few weeks. He wasn't sure anymore, the more he learned about her, the more he realized that they weren't so different. She had the same anger boiling in her that he had growing up; He just learned to keep his well hidden. But then Kate found herself with the Devil and he had given her the tools she'd need to break free and let the anger come pouring out.

He watched how Jim had worried himself out when she was taken by Bane. Now here he was calm as ever watching over her as she slept. He didn't envy her anymore. Instead he pitied her. She had let herself fall a great deal, she had blood her hands. He knew there were some things that could never be wiped clean.

She was lost, so far gone that there was no coming back. He just wondered if Jim was prepared for that.