Chapter 2

"Strange Days"

Jim Gordon had taken up smoking again. These past few months had been incredibly stressful, so it was either cigarettes or booze.

Heavy is the head that bears the crown, he reminded himself. Now, as commissioner, he not only bore the burden of commanding the whole of the GPD, but he carried with him a dark secret too.

Gordon was one of only a handful of people who knew the truth about the night Harvey Dent died.

Harvey had been a righteous defender of justice, and instrumental in their war on crime, but his disfigurement and torment at the hands of mobster Sal Maroni and the Joker, not to mention the loss of his love Rachel Dawes, had driven Harvey mad with rage.

He had taken this rage out on Gordon, kidnapping Gordon's wife and kids, threatening their lives. He had been narrowly stopped from shooting Gordon's son when Batman had tackled him off a construction site to his death. But the people still believed in Harvey Dent as their White Knight, defender of law and order. It was Batman himself who had concocted the false story that he had been responsible for those Harvey had killed in his madness, and that Harvey had met his end courageously trying to stop the vigilante.

And so, Gordon had to declare the Batman a public enemy, while also glorifying the man who had almost killed his son. It burned at him, and had driven a wedge between him and his wife. He had since kept his family out of the spotlight, so they would not have to be too complicit in the lie, citing emotional trauma from the night. Which was true. His children did not understand the deception but had agreed to keep quiet, while Barbara was disgusted by the entire thing, and barely spoke to him anymore except to yell.

Gordon also hadn't had much contact with Batman since that night, only the occasional anonymous tip-off about gang activity. Even he couldn't be everywhere at once, yet it seemed like these gangs were.

There were also other signs of his presence, such as the attack on the Gotham Times last night. The three members of Anarky responsible – identified as Lonnie Machin, Adrian Armstrong, and Sam Young – had been found severely beaten, their makeshift bomb defused. No one present had seen who was responsible, but Gordon knew.

The extent of the young men's injuries was troubling, and they weren't the first gang members found in such a state. Gordon was worried that his old friend was becoming too brutal, losing control, maybe becoming the criminal persona he'd adopted that night three months ago.

That made him remember that he was supposed to meet his replacement as the head of the Major Crimes Unit. Lieutenant Stephens had been holding that position until his early retirement, and a new officer had been brought in, someone with great success in catching hard-to-find criminals, and therefore perfect to lead the department responsible for catching Gotham's worst offenders.

He stubbed out his cigarette, spraying air freshener and closing the window, then made his way from his new office – and he still thought of it as new – to his old one.

Returning to the MCU always gave him a touch of nostalgia. Being commissioner was so much paperwork; he missed the action. And he managed to catch some as he walked into the department.

Some officers were escorting a couple of handcuffed captives to the lock-up. The prisoners' clothing showed they were from opposing gangs and, predictably, trouble started.

"You're not putting me in a cell with him! LoBoyz scum!" one shouted.

"Burnley Town Massive can all go die!" the other retorted eloquently.

Both lunged for each other, crashing into a desk. Officers piled onto them, but one stood out from the others.

She was a statuesque blonde woman in her 40s with strong features atop her well-built frame, and pulled the gangbangers apart with ease, tossing one into the arms of two patrolmen while grabbing the other by the scruff of the neck.

"You will both behave yourselves in my cells," she told them firmly, "or I will release you."

"Release us?" the LoBoyz member said, confused.

"That's right. Think about how that will look: Arrested then released without charges within minutes? People might start to think you're a squealer."

That shut them both up.

"Put them in separate cells," the woman said, handing her own charge over to another officer.

This, Gordon knew, was Captain Sarah Essen. His replacement.

After the prisoners were taken off, Gordon approached her. "Captain Essen? Impressive work. Do you babysit, by any chance?"

Essen chuckled and shook Gordon's hand. "Commissioner, good to meet you. Please, step into my office."

His old office was still bare, the captain only just moved in. Gordon felt strange sitting on the other side of the desk as Essen shut the door behind him and took his former seat.

"You came here from the 27th Precinct, right?" he said, making small-talk. "Caught the Birthday Boy killer. That was a tough case."

"That's right, sir," she smiled proudly. "But Central's the place to be. Major Crimes is where it all happens, including the pursuit of the Batman."

That piqued Gordon's curiosity. "You're interested in the Batman?"

Essen shrugged. "He's got skills, certainly, but he's a criminal like any other. I know you've worked with him in the past, sir, but you more than anyone know how untrustworthy he really is. He has to be brought in."

Gordon nodded along, maintaining the façade. Essen was a good officer, but would she be too good? He resented wasting the unit's time chasing after a man who was only trying to do right – another negative aspect of the lie.

"And how do you intend to do that, Captain?" he asked her.

Now Essen grinned like the cat that had eaten the canary. Or was that the cat who ate the bat? "I've been liaising with Lieutenant Branden in SWAT over some 'anti-Bat' tactics and equipment."

"Oh?"

"Armour-piercing rounds. Martial arts training. EMP shielded electronics. Infrared goggles. Isolated radio channels. We need to take out his advantages. Then, he'll just be a man in a cape."

Gordon raised his eyebrows. His friend might have his work cut out for him. As if he weren't busy enough.

"Well, just remember not to underestimate the Batman, Captain. And that there are other criminals out there worthy of our attention."

"Don't worry, Commissioner, I intend on running things efficiently here."

Gordon didn't appreciate the insinuation that he had not done so, but was stopped from commenting by a knock at the door.

He almost responded himself before Essen said, "Come in."

It was Detective Merkel, one of the young officers Gordon had hand-picked for the unit himself. "Captain, Professor Strange is here to see you."

Essen sighed. "Send him in."

She and Gordon shared a weary look. It seemed like she was just as unhappy as he was to have this pop psychologist forced upon them, just so that the mayor could try to look good after the Joker fiasco. In Essen's case though, she probably thought Strange's assistance made her look incompetent, while Gordon was worried that Strange might be successful in his deducing of Batman's identity.

Gordon himself had long ago decided that he didn't care who Batman really was. All that mattered was that he was trying to help. Besides, it was plausible deniability. One less lie he had to tell.

Strange entered the office with all the flare he'd displayed on his TV interview. "Ah, Commissioner Gordon, glad to see that you are here also. And you must be Captain Essen, with whose unit I will be working closely."

"Professor," Essen said with restrained warmth. "Please, have a seat."

A mousy blonde woman in her mid-20s followed Strange into the room, almost like an afterthought. She wore her hair tied up messily, oversized glasses sat on her face, and her baggy, conservative outfit contrasted with Strange's flamboyance.

Strange seemed as though he'd forgotten about her a moment. "Oh, this is Fran, my intern. One of my most promising students. But then, she had a brilliant teacher."

While Strange took the seat next to Gordon, Gordon got up to offer Fran his, taking an extra chair from the back of the room for himself. Fran mumbled a quiet "Thank you."

"So, Professor," Gordon said, "you think you can figure out who the Batman is?"

"Child's play, Commissioner, child's play," Strange said. "I've already made a preliminary outline of his psyche." He held out his hand and Fran removed a sheet of paper from the folder she carried.

Strange read from the paper as if it were a profound declaration, his voice booming. "The Batman has obvious anger issues, most likely induced by a traumatic event, probably related to crime. He is emotionally closed off, has trouble expressing thoughts and feelings, and isolates himself from others. He may also have a dissociation disorder, explaining his need for a costume and alternate persona. I could go on, but I feel I have enough to work with."

Essen interlocked her hands atop the desk, clearly trying to be patient. "Well, Mayor Garcia has asked us to give you our full cooperation, but I hope, Professor, that you will not interfere with any official police activities."

"Of course not, Captain, my dear," Strange said, handing his document back to Fran without looking at her. "There are only a few things I will need from your department."

"And what might those things be?" Gordon asked.

Strange turned to face him, an eyebrow arching up to his hairless pate. "For starters, I would like to interview some of the high-profile prisoners that the Batman has personally apprehended. I believe that likeminded, theatrical criminals may provide valuable insight into the vigilante.

"For this, I will require access to Arkham Asylum."