Title: When Madness Is Like Gravity
Summary: One man. That was all it took to take Gotham down a chaotic road. And Rachel Dawes? She was caught right in the middle of it.
Author's Note: So yeah...for anyone who's actually reading this...I got no excuse. Writer's block, plus school, plus loss of muse equals lack of new chapter. This had been half finished for a while, and before that there had been a first draft of sorts...putting it simply, it sucked, and there was no way I'd put that up for you lovely people to read. So, I present to you (finally!) a new chapter. Its not as long as I'd hoped it would be, but oh well. And new summary, woohoo! Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, zip, zilch, nada, except for any unrecognisable characters.
Chapter Four: The Game
"You know, for a second there, you, uh, almost sounded as if you were angry at poor, old, Harvey Dent".
His high pitched mocking tone of voice rang in Rachel's ears, echoing through her head.
Rachel's anger disappeared and was instead replaced with fear. This was the person- no, monster that'd sparked insecurity and fear into the hearts of most people in Gotham, who was killing people because he wanted to, and who had thrown her off a skyscraper just a day ago.
"Perhaps..I'm touching on a sore spot, hmm?" he considered, when she didn't answer after a couple of seconds. "You know, I'm not really one to judge, but I'm starting to think you have a grudge against me".
A pause went by as Rachel heard him lick his lips.
"..grudges aren't nice" he whispered huskily, as if it was knowledge to be kept only between the two of them.
"How..how did you get this number?".
"I...have my sources..".
Rachel shook her head, looking about the room and shutting the curtains decorating the windows lest she was being spied upon.
"What do you want?" she asked calmly, willing herself not to curse him there and then for everything that'd happened in the past couple of days.
"Ah! See, now we're getting somewhere" he said. "Now, where shall I begin? How about today's thrilling show, hmm? No doubt you got my message" he laughed to himself. "And that, Ms. Dawes, is just the start of it".
"The start of what?"
"Well, if I told you now, that would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it?"
Rachel sighed aggravatingly, willing herself to keep her composure.
"Look", she said, now pacing about her living area frantically. "If its me you want, fine. Leave everyone else out of it, no one has to get hurt in my place.".
"My my, Ms. Dawes, I don't think you're in any position to call the shots".
"Which brings me back to my original question, what do you want?".
There was another pause as he licked his lips again.
"What I want, Ms. Dawes...is to play a game, and the rules?" he chuckled darkly, sending a shiver up Rachel's spine. "Ms. Dawes, there are no rules".
His laughter turned into a hysterical cackle, "But what fun would it be if I showed all my playing cards now? You'll just have to see what I have in store for Gotham!".
"And where am I supposed to come in all this?".
"All in due time, Ms. Dawes, all in due time".
"What's stopping me from informing the cops about this right now?"
"By all means, nothing is stopping you. Buuuuut, what can you possibly tell them that they don't already know, hmm?"
Another short pause.
"You see, Gotham...is like a chess board, with all of it's people the pieces. You have the pawns, your everyday citizens; the castles and knights, your cops and 'heroes'; and the bishops your politicians and officials".
He licked his lips again.
"The queen, Ms. Dawes, is the most powerful piece, if played right. Fortunately for Gotham, your precious squeeze is there to play that part".
Rachel scoffed.
"Let me guess, you're the king, right?"
"Me?" he asked innocently. "No no no, Ms. Dawes, I...am not the king" he emphasised.
"Then who is?".
"That is for me to know, and you to find out".
"Oh yeah? Then what part do you play in all of this?"
"Ms. Dawes, I'm surprised a woman of your...intelligence hasn't figured it out yet" he laughed. "Gotham is my chess board".
For the longest time Rachel could hardly deduce what had occurred the previous night, but more importantly could not decide whether to keep such a call from the knowledge of others. Harvey was a no-go zone; Rachel understood that he needed no further distraction from their cases concerning the mob and the like, despite the likely danger he could be in. 'Then again' she thought, 'When is Harvey not in danger?'.
And Bruce...of all people, it would be the wisest decision to speak with him first, despite her hesitations, but even though with good reason he would no doubt spend countless hours ensuring her safety over other priorities; she would only be a prisoner in, most likely, his home.
Not only that but...
"I...have my sources...".
Stepping out of her car, she made her way to the office complex with her bag slung over her shoulders, and pushed the 'up' button for the elevator, waiting patiently for it to arrive.
'No doubt, the Joker has eyes and ears scattered across the whole city, if the fundraiser was anything to go by. For him to even get that far in a supposedly secured building is suspicious enough" Rachel thought.
The elevator doors opened with a 'ding', and she stepped inside the empty space, all the while pushing the 'level two' button.
'If what he says is true, then contacting Bruce could put him in danger, or at least more danger than usual. And Gordon...'.
"..What can you possibly tell them that they don't already know?".
The doors reopened, and with it came the indistinct murmur of her colleagues going about their own business, with phones ringing in the background and the occasional shuffling of paper echoing throughout the busy halls.
'Its best if I contact him first, maybe, if only to tell him the Joker is planning something big. Of all people he has the right to know, with what power he has he could cover a wider ground to protect people. Hopefully it will be enough to slow down the Joker and track his movement'.
Rachel moved through the halls with ease, though her body was mildly tense and her eyes wary of her surroundings. Admittedly, she was jumpy; paranoid, even, and didn't relax entirely until she was seated at her desk in her comfy office chair, though in the back of her mind she was almost expecting something to happen, perhaps not at her office, but somewhere in Gotham concerning the Joker and his plan: a hold up at one place, an explosion at another, a target here, a death or two there.
But in the hours that passed, there was not a word, not a sign, not a single breath that betrayed the presence of the Joker, or anything in relevance to him or of his words spoken the night before, and that was what made the wait more unbearable.
Rachel's coffee had long since been drained, and her stomach was close to empty, not to mention her brain which must have surely overloaded after working on the most recent case concerning the arrest of a handful of minor drug dealers, which were believed to have connections to the mob they were after. Despite their skittish nature, getting them to talk was the hardest part, and information from them was, though true from their eyes, rarely reliable and often lead to dead ends.
Rachel heaved a great sigh, and leaned her head against the palm of her left hand, her left elbow resting on her desk as she scribbled down notes in attempt to connect cases to places to other cases to evidence to people, and so on. So deep in concentration, she couldn't help but start when a steaming coffee cup appeared in her line of sight with a dull 'plonk', and her eyes immediately rose to see Gordon smiling lopsidedly at her under his moustache.
"Rough day at work?" he said, as Rachel exhaled, placing a hand over her heart.
"You have no idea" she laughed shakily. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Well, its just concerning what happened yesterday afternoon" he started as he sat down on the seat opposite her desk, a little uneasy; slowly. "I'm afraid I can't put this in any other way, and I realise how forward this is, but the fact is we can't continue avoiding the issue, as much as you might dislike it; we're placing you under the protection of some selected officers-"
"Gordon-"
"For your safety" he insisted, with a solemn look gracing his ageing face. "Ms. Dawes, you know how unpredictable the Joker is, and if anything happens to you that could have been preventable with the aid of my officers.."
A short moment of silence passed, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.
"Look Gordon, its not that I doubt the ability of your men and women...but wouldn't the Joker just see it as an incentive to kill them too? I don't want any more blood on my hands if I can help it".
Gordon sighed quietly, understandingly.
"Ms. Dawes, my men and women took up their positions knowing well that they could be killed on the job. I assure you they are prepared to do what it takes to keep you safe should the situation arise".
Rachel pursed her lips for a moment. Gordon was both the person she needed to see and wanted to avoid at the same time, but perhaps he really was the only person who could help at this point in time. It wasn't a matter of trusting Gordon, she knew she could tell him anything, but rather if her knowledge would put him in danger too? Was he going to be just another victim in all of this, or would he be safe from the Joker's hit list? Or what if the Joker had anticipated this already? What if he wanted her to tell Gordon?
"Ms. Dawes?".
Rachel took a short look at the door, making sure it was closed before she turned back to Gordon, her mind made up.
"Gordon, I need to tell you something important, but you have to promise me that you'll be careful with what I tell you".
It was no surprise to Rachel when she found herself waiting outside her apartment door with one guard in tow, and another scouting the inside of her apartment. At Gordon's command, ten-years serving Sarah O'Riley and eight-years serving Charlie Moore had been stationed as her temporary guardians should anything happen.
With aching feet, and an equally aching head, Rachel passed through the front door, placing her bag on a table and kicking her heels off as she entered her bedroom, Sarah standing guard at the door while Charlie remained in the living area.
"Feel free to make yourselves at home" Rachel said, half to herself, as Charlie turned on the television, breaking the awkward silence that came with such new acquaintances.
"Harvey is picking me up at around seven. It won't be a problem for you, will it?" Rachel asked, as she slipped out of her skirt and blouse, leaving her undergarments on as she entered the bathroom.
"No ma'am. We've been given orders to follow you at all times" Sarah replied, her voice muffled slightly from the other side of the door, for privacy's sake.
Rachel shrugged as she turned on the water, taking her remaining layers off as the temperature adjusted before stepping in, sighing as the warmth spread through her body and worked it's way into her skin and muscles.
To say that she had been angry or upset about the arrangement would have been a lie. She understood. It was part of her job to understand these precautions had to be taken in many circumstances. Of course, that didn't mean she was completely comfortable about it either, after all, what were workmates to Gordon were practically strangers to her. Thankfully Rachel had found at least one of her guards to be more open than the other on the trip to her apartment; personally she thought it beneficial to at least know who was guarding her than to live on in an awkward silence, pretending they didn't exist while she went on about her business.
"So," she called out, "do you have any family Ms. O'Riley?".
"My husband" she started after a moment, "two kids, both young. One just started school, and the other just out of his diapers".
Rachel could almost see Sarah's smile as she spoke of her children. From first sight Rachel could tell she was a motherly figure: her face was warm and gentle, her body slightly plump from her pregnancies, and her eyes held a wisdom only she as a mother could know and share. As far as Rachel knew, Charlie seemed to be unmarried, and though perhaps not as approachable as Sarah, he was just as dedicated to his job.
"I'd want my kids to grow up in a safer Gotham. That's why I do what I do" he had said, and left it at that; quiet, but overall good hearted.
In relative silence Rachel finished her shower, stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped tightly around her hair and body, heading straight for her closet where she picked out a simple red dress to wear. The six o'clock news echoed dully in the room as she prepared herself.
"..still no sign of the Joker. The question everyone is asking, is 'has his reign of terror finally come to an end, or is he waiting for the right time to strike?'.".
"..been speculated that not all our brave men and women are what they seem. A number of concerned citizens, who chose to remain anonymous, feared that Gotham's police force was not taking sufficient action against the city's wrong-doers. Recent surveys suggest that many believe Gotham's fate now rests in the hands of our own White Knight, Harvey Dent, who alone has made more breakthroughs in the past two weeks than the police force has this year. While most are happy regardless of which party cleans up Gotham's streets, a handful declared that credit was yet to be due to the city's own vigilante, Batman; Commissioner Gordon had this to say.".
"Currently Gotham's police force is doing all it can to tackle crime in this city. Our numbers are, unfortunately, limited, but we do what we can with what we have".
Rachel stepped out of her room, attentively listening to the news while attempting to attach a dangling earring to her right ear.
"And what about Mr. Dent? Any comments on his work?"
"We have been closely working with Mr. Dent over the past weeks. It has proven to be a very successful arrangement, and we hope to continue working with him in the upcoming weeks".
A knock on the door disrupted the tension in the room, and Charlie, alert as ever, strode to the door with a hand on his weapon, looking through the peep-hole before twisting the handle and stepping back.
"Rachel, how...who are you?".
Rachel almost laughed at Harvey's face, wishing she had a camera in her hands.
"Harvey, I'm back here. Its all right Mr. Moore, he can come in".
Side-stepping around Charlie, Harvey gave Rachel a light peck on her cheek as an affectionate greeting.
"You should have seen the look on your face" she commented, as Harvey shifted his eyes to Sarah, and then Charlie.
"I'm assuming this was arranged with Gordon?" he questioned.
"Something like that. Just give me a second, I need to get my bag" she said, as she made her way to her room.
"You know, if you're not comfortable with this at all, I mean after what happened, I can cancel. We could have dinner here if you have any concerns".
"No, I'm fine, really. Gordon.."
She paused her shuffling for a moment, her hand lightly holding a small black clutch as the other held her lipstick, her shoulders sagging as she sighed. She remembered, Harvey didn't know of the call. He couldn't know, not yet at least. She couldn't worry him, not tonight.
"Gordon said that he'd be keeping a better lookout on things, especially with what's been going on recently. There's nothing to worry about" she said, not quite believing her own words.
Checking that all she needed was in her bag, she calmly walked out once more, desperately hoping that she could have just this one night of peace where she didn't fear for her life, or Harvey's, or of those around her.
'Just this one night' she hoped, as she put on a smile for Harvey's sake.
"All right, lets go".
End Chapter Four: The Game
That's it for now! Hopefully I'll manage to get a new chapter up before the world ends. Constructive criticism is welcome!