Chapter 19

"Gangs of Gotham"

O'Hara's was a cop pub, owned by a former GPD police chief who retired to more honest work. Gordon hadn't been a regular there since his days walking the beat, but he was looking for any excuse not to go home, so he swung by for a drink.

A few of the off-duty officers there had greeted him with surprised formality, but he assured them he was just there as a thirsty patron. Sitting on his own at the bar, he was halfway into his beer, wondering if he should order another or if maybe Barbara might be in bed by now.

Then Sarah Essen sat on the stool next to him. "Commissioner," she said, staring dead ahead.

Gordon glanced at her, then looked at his own reflection in the bar mirror. "Captain."

They sat in awkward silence for a while, and Gordon started to think that the icy silence at home might be preferable, before Essen spoke.

"Listen… Jim…" Again, Gordon was not expecting the familiarity. "Like I told you; I know a little about what you're going through. How this job can destroy relationships. And, since my promotion, I know how lonely it can be at the top. I just… I just wanted you to know… although we might not agree on… certain topics… if you ever need someone to talk to… I'm here." She smiled at him. "No arguing, I promise."

He chuckled. "I appreciate that, Captain. Sarah." He returned her smile and looked her in the eye. Her cool blue, welcoming eyes. Her strong, elegant features.

Gordon tried to shake off his invading thoughts. Told himself it was just the booze, the bad mood with his wife. But when would that bad mood end? When would they be a family again? Maybe he could use a shoulder to cry on, someone to share secrets with… and more…

Detective Merkel suddenly appeared between them, reminding Gordon they were in a public place, and he quickly composed himself.

"Sirs!" Merkel said, agitated. "Word just came in from multiple units – every gang in the city is heading for Robinson Park, all heavily armed. Hundreds of them!"

Gordon and Essen looked to each other in a panic, but both snapped instantly into sober professionalism.

"I'll scramble SWAT," said Essen as they headed for the door, already dialling. "Have them meet us there."

Gordon also took out his phone. "I'll get every available officer to suit up in riot gear and get to the Park."

They both knew exactly what was happening. This was what everything had been building towards.

War.

Batman pulled over once out of the Tricorner Yards. Roman was smart, knew Bruce too well, with an army of devoted followers on his side and Alfred and Vicki at his mercy. Batman would need help to bring him in, so he called Gordon.

It took a while for the police commissioner to pick up. "You need to get a unit over to the mausoleum at Liberty View Cemetery," he said as soon as the phone was answered. "Black M-"

"I can't!" Gordon interrupted. "A gang war is about to break out in Robinson Park! Every gang in town's there! I need all available units for this. We need… We need all the help we can get."

Batman knew what Gordon was asking him. The police couldn't handle this alone. Just as he knew that this gang war was probably a distraction orchestrated by Black Mask precisely to delay his rescue of Vicki and Alfred. But, if the gangs weren't stopped, they'd spread, tearing the city apart and getting innocents killed in the process.

Gotham needed him.

"I'll be there," he told Gordon and hung up.

What could he do alone though? He didn't have Alfred or Lucius for support. To stop violence of his magnitude, he'd need more than just his fists and gadgets.

And he knew exactly where to find it.

Turning the Bat-pod around, he headed back towards the junkyard.

Lieutenant Howard Branden was a little too gung-ho in his application of the law, so Gordon was surprised when the car pulled up at Robinson Park – the large, grassy area at the centre of the city – and he found Branden and his SWAT team just standing around at the main gates, with a few other officers. He'd expected to find Branden leading a full-on assault, revelling in the carnage.

Gordon, Essen and Merkel got out the car and approached. "What's going on, Lieutenant?" From here, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and shouting from deep in the park. Thank God it was late enough that there'd be no civilians in there. "Why haven't you gone in?"

Branden scoffed. "Are you kidding, sir? It's a bloodbath. Let 'em tear each other apart. It'll do the city a service. I've got men stationed at all entrance points; we'll pick up anyone who tries to run for it. And anyone who's left when it's over."

Essen had been speaking into her police radio. "Air support's on the way," she told Gordon.

Branden's moustachioed lip twisted into a cruel smirk. "Let the chopper cut 'em down to size first, at least."

Gordon gave him a scolding look. "Some of us still believe in this job, Branden." He went over to the equipment van and started strapping on a bulletproof vest.

"You're going in, sir?" Merkel asked.

"That's right," he said. "Anyone with the guts to join me is welcome." He withdrew his sidearm and pulled the slide back.

Essen stepped up alongside him, also taking a vest. Then Merkel. Then some of the other officers joined him.

Without saying a word, Gordon marched into the park, and they all followed him into the fray.

The park was mayhem. A clash of colourful outfits. Gunfire rained from every gang, all using military assault rifles and more. The Red Hoods were spraying some sort of acid everywhere, Blackfire were using flamethrowers and setting trees ablaze, the Scarecrows had gas aerosols, Anarky were hurling pipe bombs, and some were just slugging it out hand-to-hand. There were bodies everywhere.

It really felt like a warzone.

But Jim Gordon was used to keeping his fear quiet in Gotham. He tried not to think about how this would be a bad time to leave his children fatherless and headed into the battle. He and several other cops threw tear gas cannisters into the fracas, opening fire to subdue any standing targets.

He had regretted shooting Lawford and Lydecker back at HQ, and was grateful they had survived, but now he had to stop this madness by whatever means necessary.

Shots were fired back, and he took shelter behind some of the officers carrying riot shields. It was the Jokerz, relentlessly pressing forward even as their own members were cut down around them, laughing maniacally, forcing the police back. Although he knew these were deeply disturbed men, Gordon couldn't deny a dark satisfaction in shooting at anyone who looked like that psychotic clown.

"Jim!" he heard Essen shout.

He looked over just in time to see her collide into him, knocking him to the ground. A firebomb exploded where he'd been standing.

"Thanks," he said to Essen, her body still pressing down on his.

After a moment, she helped him up. "We need to fall back, sir."

Gordon looked around. More gangs had noticed the cops and were advancing. He nodded. "Fall back! Fall back!" he called to the others.

They retreated to behind the Harvey Dent monument – Gordon tried not to think about the man – still taking heavy fire. Chunks were shot out of the large memorial wall around them.

"Sir… what do we do?" Merkel asked, desperation in his eyes.

He had no answer. He looked to Essen and saw the same look of defeat on her once-strong features. Enemies continued to fire on them, beginning to surround them.

Then, just as hope seemed lost, the powerful roar of an engine sounded. From over a nearby hill, Batman appeared on his advanced motorcycle, leaping into the air like a Dark Knight upon a mechanical steed.

The cavalry had come.

As Batman's bike landed on the other side of the fountain, firing its heavy cannons to hold back the gangs, more engines were heard following.

Gordon looked to the source and saw several members of the Mutants biker gang also cresting the hill, whooping and yelling, most of them carrying what looked like some of Batman's equipment.

"It's the Batman!" Merkel cried.

"And he's brought friends," Essen said with contempt, but she couldn't hide her relief.

"Sir!" one of the riot officers shouted. "Our guns are jammed! All of them! At the same time!"

Confused, Gordon tried to fire back only to find that his pistol was jammed too. He noticed that none of the gangs were firing either, most already resorting to beating each other. The Mutants had ridden into the masses though, and were taking them out with Batman's non-lethal gadgets, such as smoke bombs and tasers.

"What the hell…?"

He saw Batman had unstrapped a large cylindrical device from his bike and was setting it up.

"Cover me," he said to Essen. Then, before she could ask, he added, "Somehow," and darted over to the Bat. Fortunately, the gangs were sufficiently occupied. His fellow cops had joined the brawling now too.

"This will neutralise any gunfire in a wide area," Batman explained the device to him. "But I'm not sure how long it will last."

"We need to end this quickly," Gordon said. "Air sup-"

Batman threw one of his sharp, bat-shaped shuriken over Gordon's shoulder, whistling it past his ear. He turned just in time to see it knock out a Jokerz member who was running to him with a machete.

Gordon nodded his thanks and casually continued. "Air support is on the way, but they'll turn this into a slaughter."

Batman was typing something into his gauntlet. "I have my own air support."

A buzzing came from overhead, and Gordon saw several of the black drones which had been sighted across the city lately, subduing gang activity. He had suspected they were something to do with Batman.

The drones flew over the battle, each spraying gas or some sort of foam which glued its targets to the ground, also handily extinguishing the fires. Some let out explosions of metallic shrapnel, and those hit by it collapsed soon after. Gordon was starting to think they might just win this.

The sound of rapidly revolving blades sucked away Gordon's optimism. A police helicopter hovered overhead, its repeating gun turret searching the crowd.

He grabbed his radio. "Air Unit One, Air Unit One, this is Gordon. Hold your fire! Repeat: Hold your fire!"

There was no reply – probably men loyal to Branden onboard, told to ignore him. At the very least, they might be consulting with Branden, buying some time.

But Batman didn't hesitate. He used that grapnel gun of his to pull himself up to one of the chopper's landing struts, hanging from it while he attached a small object to the underside of the helicopter.

When he dropped back down, Gordon asked him, "What did you do? What was that?"

"You'll remember," was all Batman said.

Gordon frowned, but then heard another familiar sound from above. He looked up to see a flock of bats swarming in around the chopper. Gordon realised this was the same device Batman had used last year at Arkham, to attract bats and buy him the distraction he had required to escape.

The helicopter was clearly overwhelmed by the winged swarm clouding around it. It wobbled, and eventually pulled away from the park, the bats following. Gordon smirked and looked back to Batman.

But he was gone. Into the fight, Gordon presumed. He followed suit.

The night was far from over.

With the police, the Mutants, the MITEs, and an arsenal of gadgetry on Batman's side, the battle was starting to turn against the gangs, with most of their members being knocked out and restrained.

But the combustion neutraliser had given out. Fortunately, everyone was too caught up in the melee to notice that firearms were working again. That wouldn't last long though.

Batman punched out a cloth-faced Scarecrow and threw a glass capsule towards where a Red Hood was spraying acid from a tank on his back. The glass shattered and the solvent within dissolved the acid before it could do much damage to the police officer covered in it. The officer's colleagues made short work of the Hood.

Then Batman saw the police helicopter returning. The sonar device he used to summon the bats must have burned out. Branden's SWAT team were starting to advance from the edges of the park too; no doubt encouraged by the gangs' dwindling numbers and looking for an easy victory.

But Batman knew it would not be a bloodless victory. He needed to end this now.

His MITEs had expended all of their weapons except one. The sonic disruptor. Each MITE was equipped with one, able to render anyone who heard it unconscious, but he knew it would blow each drone's power core.

He had no choice left.

Typing commands into his gauntlet control panel, he instructed the MITEs to form a circle around the centre of the fight and emit their sonic pulses. His cowl would protect his ears, but he had no time to warn the police. They would not be harmed though.

The hovering drones began shrieking their high-pitched tone. The assembled crowd stopped their fighting to all clutch their heads in pain before dropping like flies one by one.

Some of those around the edges were too far to be affected, although they were confused. It provided enough of a distraction, however, for Batman and the officers still standing to knock them all out. A few fled for the park's walls, but they would be picked up eventually.

Batman hung back behind the Dent memorial, keeping out of sight as the timely SWAT team reached them and started helping arrest people. With luck, any sightings of the Batman from tonight would be dismissed.

And he must dismiss himself too. He still had to get to Liberty View and save Vicki and Alfred from Roman.

Unfortunately, Gordon had been one of those caught by the sonic disruptors and was unconscious. Batman would try and call him on route to the cemetery, to have him send his officers to apprehend Roman.

As he headed back towards the Bat-pod, however, he heard a gun cock behind him. He turned to see Captain Essen pointing her pistol at him.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked. Her tone was hard, but he noted a slight waver to her voice.

"I'm going to stop Black Mask," Batman told her plainly, his own gruff voice steady. "Send a unit to Liberty View Cemetery; you'll find him there."

"I don't take orders from criminals!" Essen shouted. Everyone else was far enough away not to hear.

Batman locked eyes with her. "Do you really want to arrest me, Captain? After everything I did here?"

"We could've handled it. We don't need help from vigilantes."

"If that were true, I wouldn't exist." She didn't lower her gun, so he went on, taking on a growl. "Your helicopter was about to open fire on unarmed targets, including your own team. Branden's men would have done the same, and you know it.

"Do you really want this all coming out in the arrest report, Captain? Or would you rather pretend I was never here at all?"

They just stared at each other in tense silence for several moments.

Then Essen lowered her gun.

The radio on her lapel crackled, and she turned her head to look at it. Det. Merkel spoke to her. "Captain Essen, I think we've rounded up everyone still in the park. Have you seen what happened to the Batman?"

When Essen looked back up, no one was there.

She pressed the talk button on her radio. "What are you talking about, Merkel? The Batman was never here."