Book Three: Siege

Chapter 31

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Chaos. It was—chaos. There were no other words to describe what was happening in this very moment in Gotham.

"Emma? You all right?"

I blinked a few times. My head was buzzing as my brain was trying to catch up with what just happened. I was upside down. My hands flattened against the roof; My hips and my chest hurt from the seatbelt. My ears were still ringing from the loud noise of the explosion. I didn't feel dizzy. Thankfully, I wasn't suffering from a concussion. There were scrapes here and there, on my arms and hands, the only parts of my body that I could really see right now.

"Yeah—yeah, I'm good." I braced one arm against the roof of the car and undid my seatbelt. And dropped onto my hands and knees. My body groaned in pain; my knees protested at the contact with roof. "You?" I briefly looked over my shoulder. I found him already out of the shattered window.

"I'm fine."

I nodded and I, too, made my way out of the shattered window. I didn't have time to assess my own body for more injuries. We had to move quick. Bane wanted all the cops out of the way and I knew he would go for Gordon next.

"We need to get to the hospital." I said barely glancing back at Blake. "We need to get Gordon before they do."

I rushed to the only car that seemed to be working in the streets. A middle-aged man was in the driver seat, trying to come to grasp with what had just happened.

"Sir, you're okay?" I asked him quickly. He nodded. "GCPD, Sir, I'm afraid we need your car."

Hesitantly, the man climbed out of his car. I jumped in the driver's seat and Blake in the passenger seat, holding a rifle in his hands.

Nurses and doctors were rushing in the hallways in panic. Some pointed us in the direction of Gordon's room. I could only assume that Bane's men were already there. Blake was in the lead with his rifle. I followed closely, holding my gun tightly in my hands. Nurses, doctors and families were frightfully rushing in the opposite directions, some were rushing into rooms.

Soon, we stumbled on two unconscious cops on the ground before hearing the gunshots. Blake and I rushed to Gordon's room. A gun was aimed at the back of Blake's head.

"Clear the corners, Rookie." It was Gordon.

I let out a breath of relief before walking further into the room. Bane's goons were sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Their guns were on the ground. I pushed them out of their reach. This was it, I thought as I looked out, at the city, through the windows. I could see the smoke from the various explosions. The bridges had been blown out and at this very instant, Bane was making a speech at the stadium. Letting the public know about the nuclear bomb that would go off in five months. After he killed the only person who could have saved them. This was it. This was the moment I had dreaded for eight years. And it was all happening right now.

Bruce was gone. Batman was gone.

Gotham had no protector. Not anymore.

"The people of our greatest city are resilient. They had proven it before. And they will prove it again."

Rachel, Liam, and I were sitting in their living room as we listened to the President's speech. I had Blake drop me around the corner a few hours ago, with the promise that I would check in with them soon. I had to make sure that Rachel was alright. I quickly called Stephens to check in on him and his family, and they were safe.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists. But we do recognize realities. As this situation develops, one thing must be understood above all others. People of Gotham, we have not abandoned you."

"It sounds like it." Rachel switched off the TV. "What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do," I said quietly. "We can leave cause most of the bridges are blown up. And if by some miracles, we could, they blow up the city."

"I don't understand." Liam stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Why isn't the Batman doing anything about this?" My heart dropped in my stomach. I clasped my hands tightly as I felt my eyes burning with the threat of tears. "If anyone can do something about this, it's him."

"He's gone," I said, managing to keep my voice steady. "Bane took him out of the equation pretty quickly."

"What do you mean?" Rachel scooted closer to you. "Is he dead?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "I don't think so but—We are on our own."

Rachel and Liam had offered for me to stay with them for the night. I had refused. Since, the moment I woke up, I had not had a moment to myself. I was focused on what was to come next. I was focused on Bane's next move. And after that—nothing. I knew his next move. He was going to reveal that lie that had been told to the public for eight years. The doors to Black Gate prison would be blown off and the criminals would all be released.

And after that—

I sat on the edge of the bed, one of Bruce's shirts clutched in my hands. I should have seen it coming. Miranda's intervention was not planned. I should have seen it coming. I had told him everything I knew and it had not been enough. He was gone. I did not know where. I did not even if he was alive.

The first sobs made their way past my lips. And others followed quickly. My body was shaking with them, fat tears made their way down my face as I buried my face in his shirt. I couldn't breathe or think. My heart was aching in a way it never did before. I could not bear the pain. I crawled into the bed, fully clothed, hugging Bruce's shirt to my chest, and cried myself to sleep.

Was he still alive? Did he know what was happening here in Gotham? I hoped he was still alive. I hoped he would make his way back to Gotham. I hoped I would see him again. My heart quenched in pain. The last time I saw him was the night before he was taken. And I did not get to say goodbye. He promised he would come back.

He promised.

I left the Manor in the morning. I had decided to stay with Rachel and Liam for now. As I knew it would, Bane revealed the truth about Harvey Dent and Batman. A truth that only four people knew. A truth that was now shared with all the people of Gotham. The criminals were left free to roam the streets of Gotham. But this time the people were left without protection. Without hope.

In the days that followed, a new order was established. Bane had accomplished what Ra's Al Ghul had planned to do. He gave Gotham to the criminals and left the innocent to be terrorized by them. The new order was Anarchy. No government, no authorities, no leaders, just chaos. Chaos, fear, and no hope.

Truly, the only people who were enjoying this new order were the criminals. They wanted to take the city back from the corrupt, enjoy their spoils, and shed blood. But what about the innocent people? What about the people that had nothing to do with this? The city was supposed to be theirs and yet, they were suffering from this new order. They were left with no hope.

"As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored. I can be destroyed. But as a symbol—as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting."

"What symbol?"

"Something—elemental. Something terrifying."

I do not know why those words came to me but I knew what was left for me to do. The Batman was no longer there. He was incorruptible. He was to be everlasting. And yet, we changed that eight years ago when we agreed to lie to the public. When we decided that the best for Gotham was to present Harvey Dent as the hero and Batman as the villain.

But the truth had been revealed. Batman was no longer a villain. However, he was no longer in Gotham. And this needed to change.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked me as I walked towards the door. My bulletproof vest was hidden under my shirt. My gun was tucked in my waistband. I grabbed the keys to my motorcycle and my helmet.

"I need to find Lucius."

"Whoa, Em!" Liam stopped me. "It's dangerous out there. You're a cop in a city full of criminals. You won't make it past this block."

"I will."

"Em—"

"I have to do something, okay?" I snapped. "I can't stand by while the city is being destroyed by Bane and his goons."

"Why Lucius?" Rachel asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I need his help to set up some things." I looked between them. "I'm going to do something incredibly dangerous. Especially in those times. I would completely understand if you don't want to get involved but I have to do something. I can't let this go on."

Liam and Rachel glanced at each other. "We're with you."

"Alright, then I need you to do something for me while I'm gone." I took out a walkie and gave it to Rachel. "Get a hold of Gordon and Blake, we need to organize rounds in the city pretty soon."

"Rounds for what?" Rachel asked me.

"We need to locate that bomb. We need to know which truck is carrying it. Find a pattern in the way they move." I explained. "We're gonna need all the help we can get."

"Emma, be careful out there." Rachel hugged me quickly.

"Yeah, you too."

I had let myself fall apart within the last few days. I had let myself lose any hope that Bruce was still alive. In a way, I had given up on him and I hated myself for it. In the movies, he had survived and he had come back. But here, something had changed and I wasn't sure that he was still alive. Miranda had revealed herself only after he came back from the pit. Not while he was fighting Bane and almost winning. That wasn't when she was supposed to reveal herself. But she did. And I wasn't sure that Bruce was still alive.

My hopes for his still being alive keep wavering. It came and went within these last few days. However, I couldn't let myself fall apart completely. Gotham would be in Bane's clutches in the following months. And I couldn't let him think that he won. That she won.

I couldn't let Miranda think that every citizen of Gotham had given up. I knew Gordon and Blake would do what needed to be done to track the bomb. Now, I sent Rachel and Liam to help them. But they could be destroyed. They could be ignored. But everything Batman stood for could not disappear. Everything that Batman embodied for the people of Gotham could not vanish. Not like that.

"Detective Sanders?" Lucius opened his door slightly looking over my shoulders.

"I wasn't followed," I told him simply. "And please, call me Emma."

"Come on in." He nodded and ushered me in. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"I need your help with something," I said immediately. "Before it all began, before Bane and his chaos—Bruce was working on a new suit. Did he mention it to you?"

"Briefly." He moved towards his kitchen and I followed him. "It was rather an improvement he wanted to add to an old project of his. A project he had abandoned."

"Did Bane get his hands on it?"

"No."

"Can I see it?"

The lights in the Bunker blinked to life as Lucius and I walked further in. I had not stepped foot in this Bunker in eight years. It felt wrong to be here without him. It felt empty without him. The case that contained the suit came up. I walked up to it.

"Is it possible to modify it?" I asked Lucius as I stopped in front of the suit.

"Modify it?"

"Yeah, to fit another body type." I shrugged. "Mine, for instance?"

"There's no need for that," Lucius said and I turned to him. He was wearing a small smirk on his face as a second case came up. "This should fit you just fine."

A new suit was facing me. The designs and the materials used were pretty much the same but clearly, this one was made to fit a woman. It was smaller in height and slim in size. It was still black but there were hues of dark purple. It was pretty similar to Bruce's suit but it wasn't designed for him.

It had been designed for me.