Chapter Three: Year Two (1940 – 1941)
"At the end of the day, we must all operate within the confines of the law of this great nation. But there are times when the law fails and we must go above and beyond the law in order to get justice. I see such a case in the Batman."
Special Agent Richard 'Dick' Tracy, speaking in 1943
Well known for his own reputation to bending the rules to breaking point, Dick Tracy must have been those who heard of the Falcone fortune going up in flames with a good degree of delight. The money which Carmine Falcone had used to control Gotham was now up in ashes and had left his organisation effectively crippled. He could no longer afford to bribe city officials and those needed to keep his operation free from interference while also paying his own men. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Falcone chose to pay the members of his crime syndicate with his own funds.
While this kept the Falcone crime family going in the short term, it meant that the judges, policemen, officials and countless others could no longer be bribed. The steady corruption which the Falcone crime family relied upon had come to a shuddering halt while Carmine Falcone scrambled to recover. The damage had been done however and the Carmine family was now on the defensive as Harvey Dent led a prosecution against Sal Maroni, a lieutenant of the Falcone Family, for charges of murder, money laundering and various other charges linked to corruption of various judges in Gotham.
While the Falcone family was damaged however, it was still a powerful organisation to take on and they didn't take the challenge to one of their own lying down. A battle for Gotham's soul was about to take place as Maroni was brought before a judge on the 9th July for the first part of his trial. The Falcone family did everything in their power to stop the trial from going ahead peacefully as they tried to manipulate and throw the trial completely off its course. Bribery, threats and attempts to break Maroni out of his prison cell were all attempted in order to restore the fear of the Falcone family to Gotham.
These attempts all failed however. The bribes were too small now that Carmine was short on funds, the police were finding that their corruption wasn't worth the changing attitudes in the city and most of all, Batman was ever present. The Dark Knight was coming into true prominence at this time as he prevented many attacks or bribery attempts by the Falcone family against the jurors or Harvey Dent. Any attempt to circumvent the law on the part of Sal Maroni simply saw those involved on the wrong end of a beating from Batman and an arrest by police led by Lieutenant Gordon. Carmine Falcone was rapidly losing the respect and fear of the city, as well as his man power and money as he had to bail his men out of jail.
As the trial dragged on throughout the year, America's attention was also caught up with the War that was on-going in Europe. The rapid defeat of France and the rise of Fascism brought in fresh refugees and immigrants for Gotham with tales of the horror of the Nazi crimes taking place briefly tore attention away from the Sal Maroni trial to what was going on overseas. The stand of Britain against Nazi Germany gained some sympathy from the German and Jewish immigrants who'd fled from the persecution they'd suffered and several travelled to Canada to volunteer to fight against Fascist forces.
One Gotham native led the charge in other ways though. Bruce Wayne, son of Martha and Thomas Wayne, was among the first prominent Americans to call for greater aid for the forces fighting against the Axis powers. Bruce Wayne shall be looked at later, but we must raise his current role in the city. After the death of his parents in 1923, Wayne spent most of his life past his childhood as a recluse, having either (Depending on which rumours you believed) spent his early adulthood travelling the globe or holed up in Wayne Mansion, completing his schooling privately. Due to the lack of sources regarding Wayne's activities at the time his time as a recluse is the only real option, especially in light of the trauma he must have felt from witnessing his parent's deaths at such a young age. Emerging in 1939, Wayne had made himself as a borderline scandalous playboy with a social conscience, Wayne Enterprises heavily investing into social care, anti-crime measures and medical aid for the people of Gotham when he took control of the company.
Bruce Wayne's actions prove to be almost contradictory in terms of the personality shown. On the one hand, Wayne was frequently in the gossip columns of state wide newspapers, a beautiful woman on one arm and an even more beautiful woman on the other. Scandal regarding his many relationships would dog him throughout the years, only mitigated by his work through the Wayne Foundation. The Wayne Foundation was a charity created in 1939, looking to help get people out of crime through giving them work and helping those who were affected by it. The Wayne Foundation proved to be a major help in the fight against crime as it helped provide an alternative to the Mob that many had been lacking. At the time of 1940, Bruce Wayne started to turn his considerable resources towards helping the beleaguered UK and would eventually go onto play a key role in the initial Lend Lease program.
The work of Bruce Wayne in helping the nations struggling against Fascist Europe managed to provide Gotham with a political cause that people could rally behind. Although there were those arguing for neutrality, refugees from Europe trickled through, providing people with the stories of the terror they had left behind. With that came the opportunity to invest in new industries to help the UK, giving the city reinvigorated job markets. The slow growth in industry, headed by Wayne Enterprises, would help bring prosperity to Gotham that would help bring the city out of its poverty and undercut crime in the long term. Despite his flaws, Wayne would prove to be the man who brought Gotham out of the mire of conventional crime.
Also helping in this sense was Wayne's aid to Dent's campaigns against corruption, agreeing to help keep the jurors of the Sal Maroni trial in his own estates for safe keeping among other gestures of help. Throughout the trial, Wayne would be one of Dent's greatest allies in making sure that justice was finally done. In this, they were successful as Sal Maroni was found guilty of all charges on the 9th February, 1941. Falcone power, challenged, bruised and diminished, was almost broken.
The outcome of the trial reinvigorated Harvey Dent and James Gordon, the latter being promoted to Captain of his own precinct for his efforts against the Falcone family. This would only prove to be a short term stop however as Commissioner Loeb was arrested on charges of corruption in April of 1941. With no other alternatives, combined with Gordon's overwhelming popularity, Mayor Reeves was forced to make him Commissioner that same month, giving even more power to anti-corruption forces in the city. With Falcone influence in Gotham crumbling, Reeves would find his own job soon under threat from Dent and Gordon.
But while Falcone was damaged and desperate, he was still a man of influence. The Falcone Family was not going down without a fight and although the organisation was hurting, it could still punch back. In order to do this, Carmine Falcone put an open hit of one million dollars each on Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent and anyone associated with them that anyone could collect on. It was a decision that would help bring his empire crashing down for good.
On the 4th May, the body of Chief Clancy O'Hara was found. O'Hara had been promoted to the position only three months previously, being one of Gordon's biggest supporters in cleaning up the department. Falcone hitmen were first believed to have been behind the crime until a single clue was found. A playing card hidden away in O'Hara's suit pocket, one that would become a symbol of terror to Gotham.
The Joker had claimed his first victim.
Another update, a quick one this time and hope everyone enjoys. Thanks to those who've faved and followed and to those who've left comments:
Guest: It is a theme with Batman, breaking the power of the mob to lead to the insanity that followed. Something that you might see in the upcoming chapters.
DrAveBat007: Thanks for your comment and I won't reveal too much, but Batman's identity and speculation around shall pop up later on.
Hope everyone enjoyed this update and as ever, feel free to read and review.