"Today's the big day! This is Jerri Prudence and welcome to the show!

"Today, Bruce Wayne will be attending his arraignment, which will determine if he is held in jail until his trial, or released to sit in his penthouse suite in Monaco. With me today on the panel is former Seattle Public Defender Jackie Greensword, and former District Attorney for San Francisco, Kyle Dinebox.

"I want to start with you, Kyle. What do you think are the chances that Bruce Wayne will be released on bail? What do you think the DA is going to do? It has been suspected that DA Van Dorn is seeking no bail for Wayne."

A middle aged man, his brown hair failing to cover a receding hairline shifted in his seat. "Well, as a former DA myself, I would no doubt want to keep Mr. Wayne behind bars. This isn't some Average Joe we're talking about, this is a multibillionaire that can leave the city, in fact the country, should he please. His money and resources are a big red flag that he would be a flight risk. Factor in that Mr. Wayne has been known to go globe-trotting on a whim and you can bet he's eyeing the exit now."

"I couldn't agree more. Alright, Jackie, same question."

A young woman with dark hair smiled for the camera. "While I agree that Mr. Wayne's billions does make for an increased flight risk, you do have to consider that this is the first time he has been changed with anything. Judges have been known to show leniency for first offenders, though I do think Mr. Wayne's net worth and the brutal nature of this crime he is accused of will be factors into how much the bail will be."

"So you think Wayne will receive bail?"

"I know if I was his lawyer, I would be pushing for it."

"I would like to add that the DA will be using the heinous nature of the crime to make sure bail isn't granted," Kyle Dinebox added.

"This does lead us to the big question," Jerri declared. "Which do you think will happen? Will Bruce Wayne be granted bail, or will he be remanded to jail?"

"I'm going to say that he will not be granted bail," Dinebox answered.

"I'm leaning that way myself," Greensword agreed. "Though I will preface it with in the event he is granted bail, it will be a substantial amount, perhaps one of the highest ever in this country's history."

Suddenly, the BREAKING NEWS banner flew across the screen.

"And it looks like Bruce Wayne has arrived at the courthouse for the hearing!" Jerri proclaimed. "Let us go to Summer Gleeson, who should be on the scene. Summer?"

The screen changed, revealing Summer Gleeson standing with a black suburban behind her. The back door was open and a police officer was standing at the side of a handcuffed Bruce Wayne. He was wearing a light colored suit, a blue blazer swallowing up much of his dark dress shirt. There was a blank look on his face, even as flashes of cameras began to light up the area.

Without even responding to Jerri Prudence, Summer was rushing up to the handcuffed billionaire, holding her microphone towards his face. In fact, there were a number of microphones being shoved towards him, the presence of a few police officers using their bodies to shield him away from being trampled.

"Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne!" Summer could be heard shouting. "Can you tell us how you're feeling? How does it feel to be arrested for murder?"

Her question, however, was being drowned out by others.

"Did you kill that woman, Mr. Wayne?"

"How did it feel to spend the night in jail, Mr. Wayne?"

"How could you have done this, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce Wayne seemingly didn't hear the questions, or was ignoring them. He was led up to the court doors, the camera following him until the doors were closed behind him.


"Case Number 4372: The People of Gotham versus Bruce Wayne," the bailiff read out loud from a handful of papers. "On the charges of Murder in the First Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Obstruction of Justice. The Honorable Judge Stanley Turnball is presiding."

Judge Turnball took a seat in his chair, staring out into the courtroom. Most of the benches were filled save for the jury. At one table was the ADA, Diana Weiss; at the other was Bruce and his counselor, Rae Green. They were all standing, waiting for the judge to grant them permission to sit.

"Be seated," Turnbull grunted into the microphone standing on his desk. Sitting down, Bruce just stared forward.

He knew there was going to be a media circus when he arrived. The mass of reporters and cameramen confirmed that. Their questions, as garbled and raucous as they sounded, clearly indicated what they thought of him.

Instinctively, he glanced over his left shoulder. In the front row he saw Lucius and Cassandra, both dressed for the occasion. Though they weren't the focus of his attention, he could see the dark rings around his daughter's eyes. She hadn't been getting any rest.

His attention was actually on two people at the back of the courtroom. Standing next to the door, their backs pressed against the wall, were Detectives Allen and Montoya. Both were good cops; he had seen their work over the years. Both had determined he had killed Vesper.

Both of them were wrong.

"The Defense may enter a plea," Judge Turnball announced, drawing his attention back to the front of the courtroom.

Immediately, Rae Green stood up. "Not Guilty, your Honor. This whole matter is ridiculous and may I add—"

"Ridiculous?" ADA Weiss shot up out of her seat, glaring at Rae. "You think a woman that was beaten and shot to death is ridiculous?"

"Of course not," Rae countered. "What I find ridiculous is the arrest of a pillar of the community with not a single arrest to his name, not even a parking ticket. To have his name dragged through the mud—"

"That's enough, Councilor," the judge interjected.

"You don't think finding the victim and the murder weapon in his own office indicates anything?" the ADA countered.

"No, I—"

"I said enough!" Turnbull bellowed, silencing the lawyers. "Come to order, the both of you! I will not stand for this court to be turned into a gallery for yelling and screaming."

The two women stared up at the judge. "Yes, your Honor," Rae said after a moment. "I was just wanting it known that my client has a long history of helping and bettering the community. He has been a great supporter for those in need and is usually the first one to arrange assistance whenever the latest Arkham patient attacks the city. These charges, I find, to be truly offensive. I'm flabbergasted to be before you for this matter."

Turnbull took a deep breath before snorting it out his nose. "Please, Ms. Green, save this for the trial. This is just an arraignment, nothing more. All I want from you is your recommendation."

He then turned his signs to the ADA. "Ms. Weiss? Your recommendation?"

"Given the heinous nature of this crime and the defendant's wealth and privilege in the community, the defendant must be considered a serious flight risk," Weiss answered. "The District Attorney's office has no choice but to recommend the defendant be held without bail."

Turnbull held a pen in his hand and was writing on his desk. It wasn't known what he was writing on considering the angle. "Ms. Green, your recommendation without the diatribe?"

"Your Honor, this is completely outrageous. My client has no previous criminal history and conversely has been a pillar in the community. These proceedings are tarnishing his good name, if not here, then out in the streets. We request that he be released on his own recognizance."

The Judge stared at Rae, then glanced at Willis. He was tapping the end of his pen on whatever paper he had been writing on.

"Denied."

Bruce could feel his stomach drop upon hearing that word. It felt cold and as hard as stone, sitting heavy as it was devastating. "In light of the brutality and grotesqueness of this crime, along with Mr. Wayne's wealth and considerable resources, I feel it is in the best interest of the City that he be held without bail. He will be remanded to Blackgate Penitentiary pending his trial."

"Thank you, your Honor," Weiss responded.

"This is an outrage!" Rae roared. "There are no grounds for that! My client can't be expected to sit in jail until the court manages to clear time for the trial. I demand another hearing on the subject of bail!"

"File the appropriate documents to the appropriate people, Ms. Green," the Judge replied. "Onto the next docket."

There were murmurings behind Bruce, but he couldn't bear to turn around to look. Instead, a couple of guards approached him, gesturing for him to stand up. Numbly, he did as instructed, turning to face them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cassandra waving at him, trying to get his attention. Looking to her as his hands were cuffed, he tried to give her a small smile, only it barely raised one corner of his mouth. That was the most encouraging one he could muster.

"I'll take care of everything, Bruce," he barely heard Lucius call out to him. Then he was led away.


He was led away in handcuffs. The guards kept within grabbing distance in case he tried to run, which he didn't. He was led away, exiting out of the courtroom through a side door.

There had only been the small, unconvincing smile, and that was it. Cassandra felt helpless as her father was taken away. Why was this happening? How could it be happening?

"I'll be filing for a new hearing ASAP," she faintly heard the woman, his lawyer, saying. Turning her head, she saw her collecting her things and shoving them into her briefcase. Lucius was next to her, looking patient.

"Whatever it takes, Ms. Green," the older man said. "Don't worry about your fees either; Wayne Enterprises will be covering the bill."

"It's a travesty is what this is," Green muttered, seemingly not hearing, or rather not caring about her payment. "I've had repeat offenders get bail."

"What's next?" Cassandra asked. She placed her hands on the railing that divided the room, keeping the audience separate from the trial.

The blonde woman looked at her, giving her a questioning look. "This is Mr. Wayne's daughter," Lucius introduced.

That got the lawyer's attention. "So you're the mystery girl everyone's been wondering about." She held a hand out to her, one Cassandra accepted. It was supposed to be a handshake, but it was a rather limp one. The lawyer woman didn't really grab her hand so much as hold it and they did a single shake. "It's nice to meet you."

"What's next?" she repeated. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. She had been told about this hearing thing, where bail would be set, they could pay it, and her father would be coming home with her to try and figure out why all of this was happening. Then the judge refused to set the bail…

"As I've said, I'll be filing a motion for a new hearing," the lawyer said. "It'll take awhile, unfortunately, but the first thing we need to do is get your dad out of jail. Second, we'll be entering the discovery phase. What that means is that I'll be receiving information from the DA's office, everything they have on your father's case. I will be sending whatever we have to the DA in turn. We'll review everything and see if we can't poke holes in the prosecution's narrative."

"And prove him innocent," Cassandra finished.

A small frown appeared on the woman's face, then she shook her head. "No, no, that's not what we're doing here."

Now it was her turn to frown. "What do you mean? That's what you're here for, right?"

"That's a big misconception thanks to Hollywood. In our system, it's up to the prosecution to show that beyond a shadow of a doubt, your father is guilty. It's my job to present the doubt, if that makes sense. Our system is designed so that the prosecution can't come into court, say 'Bruce Wayne is guilty,' and that's it. They have to prove step by step that Bruce Wayne is the only person that could have committed this specific crime. Where I come in is to look at the same evidence they have and show that something doesn't make sense, that maybe Bruce Wayne couldn't have been the one to do it. All I have to do is convince one juror that he couldn't have done this."

One juror? That sounded simpler. Cassandra liked that. "So when do we do that?"

The lawyer shrugged her shoulders. "That's entirely dependent on when the presiding judge has an opening in their docket, or they make one. Chances are one will be made sooner rather than later, but we're looking at months—"

"Months?!" she exclaimed. "No! That's unacceptable!"

Lucius placed a hand on her shoulder, an attempt to calm her down. It didn't work. "Which is why we're trying to get a new hearing on bail," he told her gently. "That will come sooner than the trial itself."

"And when will that be? Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?" Cassandra could feel herself getting worked up, but she couldn't help it. "They're sending him to Blackgate. Blackgate! With people that will try to hurt him!"

"I know." Lucius said that with a firmer tone. "And you can bet we'll be petitioning to keep him out of the general population."

"That's my next call," Green confirmed. "Look, I know you don't want to hear this, but here are the facts. This case is going to be a long one; it is not going to be over overnight. We've just completed step A and we have to get to Z, which means there are a whole lot of other letters we need to get through. Some we're going to skip; others we're going to repeat; and there will be some we keep circling back to. I promise you, we all want the same thing here and that's to get your dad home."

At that moment, the doors to the courtroom opened and the sound of a hundred voices filled the room. Turning her head, Cassandra saw a mob of people, some with cameras that were constantly flashing. People that had been leaving the courtroom were hit with a barrage of words, coming in an order that made no sense.

"And then there's that," Green grunted. "The press is going to have a field day with this. I'll do as much damage control as I can, but I highly suggest you two sneak out another way."

"I think that would be a wise choice," Lucius agreed.


Yeah, this sure didn't look sketchy at all.

Kate stared at the parking lot that Jeff Daniels never made it to. There was a fence, but it was only waist high. It would have been better placed around a school yard than it would here. The surrounding area wasn't all that great either. The parole office sat at the border of the business district and what locals called the ghetto. On one side were small businesses, mom-and-pop stores and the like, and on the other was the beginning of East Gotham, where rundown buildings sat with graffiti tags as decoration.

How the heck did the parole board of all places get here?

Chances were this was a nice neighborhood when the office was first built here. But over time, with little oversight and the gentrification of other, more desirable locations, the area slowly became what it was today. It was a little surprising the parole board hadn't been moved to classier digs.

That was something she needed to look into. Kate was willing to bet the board had been trying to get funds to build somewhere else, but other projects kept getting in the way. City Hall had to be rebuilt at one point and if you thought the parole board was going to win out over City Hall, then she had a couple of acres of desirable land in the desert to sell you.

If it wasn't for Jeff Daniels' kidnapping, Kate wouldn't be here. She was on break though and wanted to scout out the area. Her first look told her that it was very likely something had been missed in the initial search. She didn't see any signs of a police investigation being conducted, so either it was already complete, or it had been prematurely torn down.

Currently, Kate was standing on a sidewalk. Between her and the parole board's door was a small parking lot, but it was clear this was meant for visitors rather than employees. Seeing as the office was at the corner of the block, Kate began to follow the sidewalk around the building, heading for the backlot again.

Either Daniels had left out of the front door, or there was a back door he used. Kate opted to pretend the former was how things went and searched the ground as she headed for the back parking lot. There was garbage scattered over the sidewalk, cigarette butts, small boxes from fast food joints, even paper sacks the burger boxes had come in. There was nothing too out of the ordinary for it.

Reaching the backlot, Kate saw a number of cars parked there. Again, that fence was shameful. No way it kept anyone out and protected the cars, which was what she assumed was the purpose. There were a couple of signs that loudly proclaimed that no one was allowed to use the parking lot unless they were employees of the parole board.

Pausing to stare, Kate then looked along the back of the building and spotted a back door. Alright, let's assume Daniels used that exit instead; what happened then?

Well, clearly he would have been heading towards his car, but he never made it. His kidnaper would have jumped him before he got to it. So if she was a kidnapper, she would want to have her getaway car right along the path.

So she began checking around the pathway that separated the parole office from the parking lot. Again, she didn't see much out of the ordinary. Alright, if the kidnapping hadn't gone down there, it would have been in the parking lot itself.

Heh, seemed that no-parking sign didn't really work all that well.

Walking through an opening in the fence into the parking lot, Kate continued her search until she reached a number of parking spots with signs that indicated who could park there. One of them had Daniels' name on it.

His car, however, wasn't there. That wasn't too surprising since the police would confiscate it for evidence. A quick glance at the parking spot itself didn't show her anything worth searching, so she glanced at the spots on either side of it.

So if she was the kidnapper and didn't jump Daniels either on the side street, or the alley behind the office, she would have done it right next to Daniels' car. Unfortunately, the surrounding spots didn't look any different than Daniels'. This was starting to feel like a bust.

"Ma'am?"

Turning her head, Kate saw a man in a guard's uniform approaching her. Considering the area, she was immediately on edge. Just because he was wearing a uniform didn't mean he was an actual security guard. "May I ask what you're doing here?" he called out to her.

"Just looking around," she answered him, her hand slipping into her jacket pocket. Fall was upon them, so the air was starting to get cooler. She pulled out her work ID and held it up for the guard to see. "I'm with the DA's office."

The guard came to a stop in front of her, his eyes squinting to look at her ID. "Well, what brings you here?" he then asked.

"Our office is monitoring the disappearance of Jeff Daniels. I was on break so I thought I'd come down and take a look at the alleged scene."

"Might I suggest you do it some other time? This isn't the best area, ya know."

Kate glanced towards East Gotham. "So I see."

"We've been telling those people at City Hall we needed to be moved, but did they listen?" the guard complained. "Bet they listen now."

So they had been fussing about it. She should have expected that one. "How did you know I was out here?" Kate couldn't help but ask.

The guard twisted his body so that he could point towards the office. "Saw you on the camera; wanted to make certain you weren't up to no good."

Hmm, so there was security footage. That was promising. While Kate could have kept shooting the shit with this guy, she had a feeling it wouldn't be much, not compared to whatever security footage there was. No doubt the police had it in their possession, so she just needed to ask them for a copy. "Well, I suppose I'll get going. Sorry to intrude."

"Just be careful out there," the guard responded. "This place isn't as safe as it used to be."

That was an understatement.


Cassandra had heard of the phrase "Press Mob" before. She never really understood what that actually was, but she knew her father wasn't fond of it.

She knew what it meant now.

An insane crowd of reporters and cameramen seemed to swallow up the entrance to the courthouse. The flashes of the cameras were blinding; the voices of the reporters deafening. Microphones were shoved into her face as she was yelled at, unable to understand a word.

The young woman had to hold a hand in front of her face to protect her eyes. There were spots dancing before her eyes, and they made it difficult for her to move. Lucius' hand found its way to her upper back, helping to guide her forward. For that, she was grateful.

As the lawyer had recommended, she and Lucius had left a different way out of the courtroom. Apparently, the press wasn't so easily fooled as a few reporters had taken position in the hallway they ended up in. They didn't so much as recognize her as they did Lucius and immediately pounced.

"We have no comment at this time," was all Lucius said when questions of what happened in court were asked. He repeated it a few more times even as they tried to make their escape. "Just keep going," he had whispered into her ear.

Unfortunately, the hallway led to the main lobby of the courthouse and that was where the rest of the press mob was. Others spotted her and Lucius with their own pestering reporters and they jumped into the fray. Before Cassandra knew it, she was surrounded on all sides.

Never had she had to resist not throwing a punch before.

Her instincts fought to defend her. Though overwhelming, none of these people were actually threatening her, so her training kicked in and kept a tight lid on her urges. It was getting more and more difficult as she was slowed to a crawl.

But eventually, she and her father's trusted friend reached the doors. If they were meant to be a sanctuary, then she was sadly mistaken. An even larger crowd was just waiting for them. Anyone that left the courthouse was bombarded with questions, and it didn't look like anyone could answer any.

"This…mistake…" she barely heard Lucius mutter next to her. "...should have…another way…"

"What?!" she shouted, trying to be heard over the mob.

Lucius just shook his head, pointing forward. "Keep going!" he yelled back.

Yeah, easier said than done.

That's when she heard it. It was faint over the cacophony of voices, but the crowd began to quiet down as heads of reporters turned away from her and Lucuis and looked to the street.

That sound, it was a car horn. It was sounding off repeatedly, first long, then a couple of quick bursts before ringing out long again. It was coming from somewhere off to her left.

Though she couldn't quite place it, she did see something that stuck out. There was a large armored truck. It was parked right in the middle of the street, stopping traffic. Initially she wanted to rule it out as an impatient driver trying to get their attention.

However, towards the back of the truck, the doors were open and the back half of a car was disappearing into it. That was definitely weird. In fact, as the car disappeared into the truck, the car horn became distorted, seemingly muffled.

By now, the mob of reporters had fallen silent as they watched the scene. The moment the car completely disappeared into the truck, the horn still blaring, the truck's back doors suddenly swung shut and the horn went silent. Then, as if nothing happened, the truck began to drive forward, crossing right in front of the courthouse and heading down the street.

What…what the heck had just happened?

There was a soft murmuring, the reporters looking to each other in confusion, asking each other the same question that was echoing in Cassandra's head. It wasn't until she felt a hand pull on her elbow that she tore her eyes away from the scene and found Lucius leading her to one side.

They moved along the wall of the courthouse, seemingly going unnoticed until they fully escaped the crowd. The two just kept walking until they reached the corner of the building and turned around it.

"Alright, that was strange, even for Gotham," Lucuis remarked. "I'm not certain if that was a new kind of tow truck, or we just witnessed the most blatant kidnapping in history."

A kidnapping…that's what that was, wasn't it? Why did she feel so uncertain? Lucius seemed to indicate what it was, so why did she not agree? Why did she feel so numb inside?

Apparently, Lucius noticed this too as he looked down at her. "Hey, everything is going to be alright," he told her. It was like he sensed the turmoil within her. "We had a setback today, no question about that. But it's important that we shake it off and go onto the next step. We're in a battle of attrition now, so we need to be ready for the long haul."

A battle of attrition—she understood that. Slowly, she nodded her acceptance. "What's important now is that we keep working hard. I recommend you look into that incident we just saw. It'll get your mind off of today, if only for a few moments."

Yeah, she could do that. She didn't want to think of what happened in the courtroom today. Investigating a case, that could help. Of course, the only one she really wanted to focus on was the Fairchild murder…

No, she needed to do this. Her father would look into it, no matter what was happening, so she could do no less. "Is it alright if I have the rest of the day off?" she asked Lucius.

"Considering everything that went down, yes," he answered her. "I expect you back at the office tomorrow morning, understand? I know a lot is happening, but our responsibilities don't stop because we're having a difficult time."

That wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she would take what she could get. She needed to get to the BatCave and start looking into…whatever the hell had just happened just now. Lucius hadn't been kidding when he had said that this was strange, even for Gotham.