Discalimer: I do not own Batman or anything "Dark Knight" related. I believe DC comics does.
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Bagpipes hum for the dead in this austere morning. The sound of synchronized drums set a tempo for the sadness of thousands of footsteps to follow. Today is the funeral for our dead Police Commissioner, Commissioner Loeb. It is solemn moment and if one is to listen closely, one can almost hear the worried souls whispering about how the Joker might stay true to his threat against the Mayor of Gotham. Because of this, Gordon has positioned a couple of Gotham's finest law enforcement sharp shooters along the fire escapes of the surrounding buildings to take out any suspicions.
Through the street we march, all law enforcement members, in a parade like style. There are endless rows of the GPD's officers walking in their pressed suited uniforms.
At the end of the street there is a large elevated platform with foldable plastic chairs. This is set aside for a few GPD's officers to sit and watch the ceremony, while the rest stand in formation for Loeb's honor. In front of the rows of seats, there is a large wooden podium for eulogy speakers.
How lovely.
After the horde of organized law enforcement and I make it through what feels like the valley of shadow, I make my way to my assigned seat in the second row atop the platform. I have to sit between Detective Silverstern and Officer Ricardo. Quietly I settle myself into the chair, secretly wishing that Lucas was able to attend this with me, however his cousin was in town and he couldn't make it.
Bummer.
Gordon takes his seat in the first row directly in front of me which happens to be right behind the podium, slightly to the left.
The ceremony begins.
The drum line and bagpipes silence themselves in a rehearsed hurry as the Mayor takes a stand at the plinth. Out in front of him, there is a large opened area in which the honor guard stands, obviously there to perform after his speech is over. The Mayor commences his speech with a noble acknowledging to the Commissioner and then leads into a more heartfelt personable eulogy for Loeb. Throughout, I find myself nodding my head somberly in agreement with what I wish are honest noble words.
Sooner than I thought, the honor guard takes their computerized stance. Their white bleached gloves skillfully weave their polished guns in synchronized twirls and throws, catching them before they hit the ground.
Harmonized in perfect timing, they fire blanks into the somber morning air. The Mayor of Gotham stands watching with a pompous grin on his face. The Honor guard recoils and begins to twist their rifles and hands in intricate patterns, only to stand in a perfect shooter's stance and fire again.
As the blanks burst into the cool atmosphere, I notice that this time they are not entirely in sync. Perhaps someone did not pull the trigger quickly enough.
Or perhaps I am wrong.
I notice that the snipers up on the fire escapes are aiming at the apartment building to my right down the street.
Oh shit.
I see one of them shaking off the kick their M16A2; he has already fired a round at the building.
My heart punches the inside of my chest, screaming adrenaline through my veins. I turn my head quickly to see if anyone else notices this.
No one does.
Except Gordon.
He turns his head in the direction of the sound, obviously shaken by the familiarity of honest gunfire.
The honor guard members recoil from their shooters stance, meanwhile the Mayor is smiling like an idiot, completely oblivious to sniper fire from down the street.
Then something catches my keen eyes. A man in the honor guard, who is closest to the Mayor, has deep scars that stretch from the corners of his mouth and upward into his cheeks.
A Glasgow smile.
I then begin to understand, the guns in the honor guard probably are not all just going to fire blanks. Part of this macabre jigsaw puzzle begins to click. The Joker was right under our very nose the whole time, and our sense of smell failed. I try not to think about what the Joker has done to the real honor guard men and what horror they have faced. I then understand that all of the honor guard members are the Joker's goons. The Joker's eyes burn with a determination as the entire honor guard pivots fully in the Mayor's direction. His intense concentration is undivided as he lines up the perfect shot at the mayor's chest.
Oh shit.
His eyes are locked on his target.
His finger pulls back on the trigger.
As the bullet whizzes through the air, time seems to slow.
My legs thrust my body into a stand and I try to jump for the Mayor, over a row of officers, but I know that I am not fast enough. I stumble and trip, falling flat on my useless face.
It is all over, or so I think.
I twist my head up in time to see Gordon leaping up from his chair, grabbing the Mayor in a bear hug in an attempt to throw him out of harm's way. Gordon's body seize in pain for I know that the bullet just crashed into his back. I see the Mayor quickly stumble back onto his feet while a few officers run to his aid. I look up to find that the once organized mass of humanity that was mourning for the now dead commissioner of Gotham has erupted into a volcanic spew of chaos and fear. Screams penetrate the street. People run and shove each other in a mass hysteria.
The situation is escalating to beyond a point of redemption.
I watch in horror for it feels like Gotham is tearing itself apart. Control is now a dying ember in a sea of ashes. My eyes record the disguised Joker sprinting in a ducked saunter as he and his goons make a break for it in the waving wheat field of humanity.
Murderer.
In effort to be helpful, I bark orders at officers that are standing in a confused daze, telling them to hightail it after some of the Joker's escaping entourage. I would do this myself, but I do not have a gun. This only aggravates me and this is why I should carry a one on me.
Stupid.
A few of the Joker's accomplices do not make it far, for some are captured by miscellaneously placed GPD officers. Their faces contort in rage and fear at the cold tip of a gun is pressed forebodingly to their sweaty temples.
Good.
Bastards.
I see Gordon being swamped by paramedics, attempting desperately to keep him alive and to transport him to an ambulance. My heart aches with the pain of loss that I know is inevitable. In Gotham, no one is laden with luck.
I feel so frozen.
From somewhere deep within the frenzy more gunshots sing out sharply.
More screams of chaos follow like a crescendo.
I long to pump rounds into the Joker's fucked up face for he is tearing me apart. Barely, I am able to compose myself. What holds me together is the growing need for retribution mixed confusingly with my grief and fear. I know that he will be out in Gotham for one more night, one more night that he is not behind the bars.
One more night could make all the difference.
My ears seem to give out and a silent ring fills them, perhaps from the deafening gunshots.
Or perhaps from something else.
Savor the silence, because it is all you're ever going to get.
I am punched back into a realistic state when screams fill my ears, that is until I realize they are not screams.
Wails of Gordon's ambulance squeal and I twist my head to see one speeding away. It just all seems so unreal. Behind the platform, I see detective Stevens conversing with Ramirez. I sprint up to them.
"What's Gordon's condition? What the hell's going on..."
"Gordon's not going to make it," Steven's says to me. His eyes are glazed with the frustration of tears that are holding themselves back. I wish I had the power to do the same.
My world crashes down.
"What?" my lip quivers.
"He's not going to make it, Eva."
No.
"No, he can't be dea-, no, no…" I hold back a sob and weakly embrace detective Stevens as his arms wrap around me gently. He strokes my back with one of his large hands, attempting to comfort me.
"It's gonna be okay," he says softly, his weathered voices echoes in my head. More gunshots strum the airwaves.
No, no it's not.
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A/N: Okay guys, I am honestly feeling a little iffy about this chapter, in short, I do not think that it is very good. I have really been struggling with it. That is why it took me a long while to update, so please be honest and let me know what you think. However, this is Eva Duren's take on the events that take place during "The Dark Knight" and also (as you know) events that involve her behind the central story. Please, I would love to hear your opinions on everything, so if you get the chance please review. Thanks for your support!