Six Weeks Ago

Alfred Pennyworth hated his life. After years of serving the British Armed Forces, he became a butler. Serving family after family. That was, until he was hired by Thomas Wayne. But ever since the Wayne's death and Bruce's disappearance, his life hadn't been the same.

Alfred heard a knock on the large doors of Wayne Manor. He dropped his duster and scurried towards the door, shotgun in hand. Wayne Manor was private property, and it was Alfred's job to protect it.

Alfred opened the door and aimed his weapon at the trespasser. Standing at the door was a tall man, with shaggy black hair and a scraggly beard. Wearing what seemed to be the robes of a martial artist. His piercing blue eyes struck Alfred, causing him to lower his weapon. There was a familiarity in those eyes.

"M-Master Bruce? Is that you?" Alfred asked, still bracing himself.

"Yes, Alfred. It's me. Sorry for the disappearing act." Bruce responded. He began to wobble and Alfred grabbed his arm and tossed it over his back, carrying Bruce inside.

After getting Bruce some clean clothes and a nice shave, Alfred sat him down near the fireplace to rest. The opening in Bruce's shirt revealed nasty looking scars, some of which looked fairly fresh. Alfred placed a cup of Chamomile Tea next to Bruce and sat in the chair across from him.

"Eight years, Master Bruce. What was so important that you had to disappear for that long? I haven't seen you since your teenage years, and now you sit in front of me almost a fully grown adult. Why were you gone so long?" Alfred asked, a look of confusion accompanying his questions.

"I just needed some time away from everything. Time to find myself. I couldn't stand living in Gotham anymore, so the first chance I got, I left. But it wasn't because of the city, it's the people in this city. The corruption, I've witnessed it first hand. Carmine Falcone, Albert Maroni, Rupert Thorne, just some of the men who have corrupted Gotham to its core. I needed to discover what my place was in all this." Bruce responded.

Alfred sat with his hands folded. He stared Bruce right in the eye the entire conversation, just to see what Bruce's true intentions were. But all he could read from Bruce was hatred; hatred and anger. Bruce had not truly recovered from his parents murder. He still had lingering contempt in his heart.

Bruce rose up from the seat, despite his injuries. He picked up his cane and walked towards the bust of his father. He stared at the bust, before shedding a tear. He closed his robe and began to walk towards his room, leaving Alfred alone with his thoughts.

Current Day

Lieutenant Jim Gordon hit the brakes on his car as he arrived at the crime scene. One of Albert Maroni's assassins had been tracked to a location south of The Narrows. Couped up in an abandoned building hiding from cops. But, after making a phone call from a nearby phone booth, the cops were able to narrow down his location. Jim pulled out the megaphone from his passenger seat and began to speak to the assassin.

"Mr. Blake! GCPD! We have you surrounded. Don't try anything." Gordon yelled.

Next to Gordon, the leader of the SWAT team began to prep his team for infiltration. Gordon took off his trench coat and cocked his handgun.

"Gordon, where the hell do you think your going?" The SWAT Captain asked.

"I'm going in. This was my case, I'm gonna bust this asshole." Gordon said.

Gordon's partner, Kate Ramirez, walked up next to him. She loaded her shotgun and strapped on her bulletproof vest.

"I'm going with you, partner." Kate said.

The SWAT Captain sent in his men, with Gordon and Ramirez in tow. They made it up two flights of stairs and made it to the third floor. They breached the apartment door and tossed in a tear gas grenade. Three SWAT officers entered the room, armed with AR-15 rifles and combat knives. The green hue of their night vision goggles shined through the tear gas. But when the gas cleared, the assassin wasn't there.

Gordon spotted a box sitting in the corner of the room. He opened it to find a ticking bomb with C4 and dynamite strapped to it. He only had 35 seconds to get everyone out.

"EVERYBODY OUT NOW!! BOMB!!" Gordon screamed.

The squadron rushed down the stairs and made it to the street in time. The building exploded, burning all evidence of the assassin and his involvement with Maroni. Gordon felt his cellphone vibrate. An unknown number was calling him.

"Who is this?" Gordon asked.

"Hello, James. My name is Albert Maroni. You might know me as Crazy Al. I heard about your involvement investigating the Gotham underworld. Stop. You won't like what you find down that rabbit hole, buddy." Maroni spoke. "Just quit while you're ahead, and you won't have to worry about you or your family's safety. But, if you continue to investigate, I can't promise anything."

Gordon felt his rage building up. He hadn't felt that angry since his argument with O'Hara a couple days ago.

"Now you listen her-" Gordon began. Maroni ended the call, his stance made clear.

A pit opened up in Gordon's stomach. Had he entered a world he wasn't ready for? Was he in too deep? What about Barbara? If she gets hurt, Maria would never forgive him. Gordon forced his negative thoughts into the back of his mind. He would find a way to take down Maroni, and Rupert Thorne, and Carmine Falcone, and any other criminal who would endanger Gotham City.

Gordon remembered why he came here. Why he wore his badge. To protect and serve. By any means necessary...