Part One | Part Two| Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine| Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve|
Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen
Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen
Gordon watched as they unlocked the bared door of the SWAT truck, two men stepping up inside and dragging a a perfectly happy looking Joker out after them. The Joker spotted Gordon, flashing him another one of those grins that made Gordon's want to vomit. So many times had he had to deal with this son of a bitch, and here he was having to do it again. It was a big game to the Joker, and one he knew – right now – he was winning. This was what he wanted, this was exactly the reason he picked those fights in Blackgate. Arkham was home to the Joker and it was the very place he knew he could escape in due time.
Gordon felt some pent-up anger growing in his gut. This was not what he wanted to be doing right now. Arkham wasn't where he was needed, and he knew it was just an excuse of Garcia's. Gordon wasn't sure what the mayor was up to, but there was something there. Gordon couldn't refuse, of course, because this was his job; he had work to do. So since when did his job description include watching over Joker as he was checked in to Arkham?
It wasn't, that was just the thing. Sure, being commissioner meant he over saw every police and crime related incident, but something like this didn't need him. What was Gordon going to add to the equation of the Joker did try to escape? Shoot him? Maybe, but anyone could do that. Gordon had a feeling, though, that the Joker wasn't going to anywhere. Not only was he behaving, but he seemed happy to be going back into a padded cell.
Gordon followed after the guards, keeping a few feet behind them, listening to the Joker as he hummed a few nursery rhymes, now and then trying to stretch his head back to look at Gordon. Finally, they walked in through the pat-down, nothing on him, and then they fitted him with a straight jacket, all the while the Joker was giggling and laughing. Gordon was about to leave when they walked the Joker to his cell, when the he turned around quickly and looked at the commissioner curiously.
“I've heard things... certain things about a certain Gotham Prince,” the Joker said, squinting his eyes. “And if rumors are true, I'm not surprised.” The Joker began to chuckle, and Gordon did the honors himself of pushing the freak into his cell before he could insinuate anything more. Gordon watched as the metal lock on the door clicked before turning away. One of the guards that brought the Joker in stepped up beside Gordon as they started for the exit.
“Is it true?” the guard asked, and Gordon feel the man's eyes on him, searching for the same answer the Joker was. Gordon didn't look at the man, stepping up his pace.
“Rumors are just that... Rumors,” Gordon said. The guard stopped but Gordon kept walking. He didn't have time for this, he needed to call Wayne. He prayed to God that nothing had happened. He walked past the security check point and to the check-in desk. He motioned at the phone and the woman shrugged.
Gordon took the phone and dialed Wayne's number. It rang until his voice-mail picked up. Gordon hung up and tried Wayne Enterprises instead. Sally, Wayne's secretary answered.
“Mister Wayne's office,” she greeted in a cheery tone.
“This is Commissioner Gordon, is Mister Wayne available to talk?” Gordon asked, hoping that Wayne had just gone into a meeting, or stepped out for a minute, something that seemed feasible.
“Mister Wayne left about an hour ago, Commissioner. He didn't mention coming back to the office today. I assume he went home.”
Gordon felt his heart leap. He didn't even want to know what Wayne could get into, especially if he didn't have his car which meant he either took a taxi or called Alfred. As awful as it was for Alfred, Gordon hoped Wayne had called the butler, in case he lost it again.
“Thanks,” Gordon said quickly, hanging up the phone. Home could mean the Manor or Penthouse. Gordon fished his keys out of his pocket. Penthouse was closer, he'd check there first.
------
Bruce had returned to Wayne Manor, throwing open the front door, walking swiftly past Alfred, and headed back towards the study. He could hear Alfred's footsteps just paces behind his, making some sort mumbling noise that Bruce couldn't quite hear over the loud racing of his heartbeat. He was so angry, so very, very angry. He turned the corner into the study and hit the keys on the piano and walked through the hidden door. Alfred stepped in after him, tapping him on the shoulder as they stepped onto the elevator lift.
“Master Wayne, might I ask what you're doing?” Alfred asked calmly. He more concern than anything in his eyes and Bruce almost felt sorry for the old man, but it wasn't enough to distract him. Bruce narrowed his eyes and looked away as the lift came to a stop in the batcave.
“I'm going to find him and then I'm going to finish what I should have finished a long time ago,” Bruce explained in a ragged growl. He walked over to the computer console and hit a button. The cage holding the batsuit to pop up out of the ground, and Bruce started to walk towards it. Alfred was still trailing behind him, wrenching his hands together, worriedly.
“Who, sir?” the older gentleman asked. Bruce was stripping his t-shirt off, turning to face Alfred again.
“Joker,” Bruce said. He tossed the shirt to the ground and took off his jeans, finding the body mesh body suit in the cage and slipping it on. Alfred bent to pick up Bruce's discarded clothing, but didn't say anything else. Wise choice, Pennyworth. Bruce then picked up each piece of armor and started to fit them on one-by-one. Bruce finally put the last piece on, fitting the cape to the clasps on the shoulder armor. He placed the cowl over his head, drawing it down over his face. Alfred sighed.
“And what do I tell the commissioner when he calls, Sir?” he asked sullenly. Bruce walked to the batpod, lifting one leg over the side, straddling the motorbike.
“It doesn't matter,” Bruce said loudly over the roar of the engine as he started it up. It does though, you don't want him to try and stop you, Bruce. You know Gordon will, it's duty. Wouldn't matter, Gordon wouldn't find it him, not soon enough. Bruce revved the engine and took off out of the batcave, jumping the ledge of the waterfall and landing across the gulch, heading across the bridge towards Gotham. If there was any way to find the Joker, it would be from the radio tower.
-----
Stephens watched as Anthony Garcia stood in front of the podium just inside the entrance of City Hall, waiting for all the reporters to settle down before he started the press conference. The media wanted to know what was happening with the Joker, since the hearing had been private, no one really had the chance to know. Garcia told Stephens that this was the next step to the plan, and that directly after the conference Stephens would need to contact Gordon to meet them at MCU. If all went as planned, everything would work perfectly.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming on short notice. I know you're all wondering the results of the court hearing for the Joker. Rest assured he is still in custody and will not be set free,” Garcia explained, placing his hands on the podium. “He is being transferred back to Arkham. It was decided the best choice for him at this time. Arkham is more equipped to handle a criminal of his... demeanor.”
“But hasn't the Joker escaped Arkham numerous times in the past?” a blond reporter asked, Stephens thought for sure it was Vickie Vale of the Gotham Gazette; notorious for starting rumors and false accusations. She wasn't wrong about this one though.
“Yes... But Arkham has gone through some changes in the past few weeks and we've hired more security and a few more doctors. There is not a chance he'll escape this time.” Garcia smiled, one of those fake smiles that he always had on his face when he lied. Stephens knew it was only a matter of time before the Joker escaped again.
“You said he's being transferred back. Are we to assume he isn't there yet?” Vale asked, giving her own best, fake smile. Garcia's smile turned into one of those genuine ones; this was exactly what he wanted to be asked. Stephens sighed, looking down at his feet. Lying to the press to get what they wanted was far from what he signed up for when he joined the GCPD fifteen years ago.
“There was a few moments where we thought he had escaped. But he's back in the hands of Gotham's Finest now. He's being transported to Arkham as we speak. There was paperwork that needed to be done before hand. Rest assured we have a whole SWAT team assisting in this. There will not be any escapes tonight.” Garcia was a little too humble and Stephens almost felt sick even being a part of this. Garcia glanced at him, nodding his head just slightly. Stephens returned the nod and walked off towards his car parked just outside the building. He turned on the police scanner and picked up the receiver. He knew Gordon's phone had died, so he hoped that the commissioner was in his car.
-----
Gordon had tried the penthouse but with no avail; no one answered. He couldn't very well call Wayne Manor, his cell phone being dead and all. He sat in his car and turned on the scanner. He hoped to God he didn't hear anything about bat sightings, but just in case he needed to listen. What he did hear was Stephens calling out his CB number, asking for a response.
“Gerry?” Gordon asked into the receiver. “What's going on?”
“Jim, there is slight situation and Garcia wants you at MCU ASAP.” Stephen's said quickly. “I can't really talk about it over the air.”
“On my way,” Gordon answered. Whatever it was it sounded urgent, and Gordon couldn't help but hope that it didn't have anything to do with Wayne or the Joker. So why was his gut telling him otherwise? Gordon started the car and headed to MCU, trying to keep his speed within limit.
-----
Bruce didn't need to hear twice. The press conference had been more than audible from the radio waves, and everything he needed to know about where the Joker was headed. So, Bruce didn't get to him before the Joker was recaptured, that was okay; Bruce was going to get him either way. Those SWAT vans weren't protected enough to keep Batman out. Bruce knew the route from the courthouse to Arkham like the back of his hand. He headed towards the avenue.
Just as he assumed, one SWAT van and five police escorts were screeching down the street, a police blockade preventing the flow of any other traffic. This felt familiar to Bruce, just like when Harvey was being transferred and the Joker was after him. Except this time Bruce was doing the chasing and it was the Joker's turn to take the fall.
Yes, Bruce. You can finally do what needed to be done. Yes, I can. It didn't matter now that a little piece of his brain was telling him no, that this was not the way it should be done, because over the roar of the his engine and the black thoughts that clouded his mind, he just didn't notice. Bruce hit the throttle and threw the bike into third, roaring up beside the van. He barely had a moment to notice that the police cars had slowed, leaving Bruce and the armored van.
Maybe they want you to finish it, maybe they're tired of Joker, too. Do everyone a favor and get rid of him, Bruce. Stop wasting time! Bruce sped forward ahead of the van and stopped the bike a good twenty feet in front of the van. The SWAT driver had to hit the breaks quickly, the van's tired skidded, and tip the van to it's side. The driver quickly crawled out as Bruce jumped off the batpod, running up to the van, using the blades on his arm armor to break the lock on the door, throwing the doors open.
Empty.
What the hell... Bruce felt very betrayed, as if for some reason he had either been tricked or set-up. Maybe both. This is what you get, Bruce, when you allow yourself to be overcome with emotions. You should have just gone with Gordon and not given him a choice, then you could have had to chance to take the Joker down. But now the question was, why? Why would they do this? The police cars had come to a complete stop behind him, the SWAT driver had out his shot-gun, training it on Bruce.
This was not how he was going to be taken down.
-----
Gordon walked briskly through the halls of MCU until he reached his office where Garcia and Stephens were waiting. Garcia looked at him emotionless and even. Gordon hated that, it meant there was something they weren't letting him in on and one way or another, he was going to find out what it was.
“Jim, glad you got here so quickly,” Garcia said, not even a tone of greeting or happiness to his voice. Gordon looked to Stephens, who a noticeable frown on his face. There was something wrong with this situation, and Gordon had a feeling everything was about to fall down around him.
“We have calls coming in that Batman is out on the prowl. I thought you took care of this situation?” Garcia asked.
“I did. I wasn't aware of this... I was busy all day. I can't keep track of him all the time –” Gordon was trying to explain himself but he knew the more he talked, the worse the situation was becoming.
“No, Jim. You can't keep track of him and it's not your job to do so. You've gotten too close this and it's time you backed off and did your job,” Garcia said firmly, stepping up closer to Gordon so that they were just a few hands lengths apart. Stephens' cell phone rang and he picked it up, both Gordon and Garcia looked over at him. Stephens covered the mouth piece of the phone, looking to Garcia knowingly and avoiding Gordon's gaze altogether. Gordon thought that suspicious.
“They've got him down on Fifth and Norton, but he's putting up a bit of a fight. They're calling in more ground and air coverage from SWAT,” Stephens stated, going back to the phone call. Gordon looked to Garcia, knowing full well that this was the mayor's doing; he set it up to trap Wayne, to call him out and get him behind bars once and for all.
“Well Gordon, what are you going to do? You're job or are you going to go to his rescue?” Garcia asked, his gaze was steady on Gordon, but the commissioner wasn't about to back down. He'd have to see this through and it was obvious Wayne had made his own choice. Garcia wasn't playing around and Gordon knew his job was on the line here.
“Job,” he said sourly, shifting on his heels and heading back down the corridor to the front entrance. He had to get to Wayne, had to figure out what exactly what going on here. Why was he out anyway? What set him off?
Gordon hopped back into his car and drove to Fifth and Norton. It was luckily not that far, and hard to miss at that. At least a dozen cop cars, a few more SWAT vans and a helicopter circling above the area Wayne was in. Gordon parked the car and stumbled out, running up to the crowd of officers huddled around, pointing guns at Batman, but no one could get a clear shot. Gordon looked at the mess of splayed bodies on the ground. Gordon didn't even want to know if any of them were dead, he was hoping Wayne wouldn't have time to think about killing in a situation where he had a lot more to take down than just a few men.
Batman had one officer by the collar, bringing him up to meet his face directly. “Where is he? Where is the Joker?” Wayne growled through gritted teeth. The officer shook his head, shaking under in Batman's strong hands. Gordon stepped forward and Bruce turned to face him, a rage so violent in his eyes that Gordon was sure the man probably didn't even recognize him at that moment.
“He's in Arkham. He's been in Arkham for three hours now. He's not here,” Gordon said calmly, stepping forward. Wayne thew the officer at Gordon, toppling them both to the ground. Wayne let out an growl so loud that it shook Gordon's ear drums. The billionaire had really lost it, and there would be no getting him out of this now. More SWAT arrived behind Batman, one of the members had gotten up right behind him, and as Gordon found his footing again, he stood. Wayne looked at him now with a knowing in his eyes, and some apologetic quirk to his lips. It was then that Gordon was sure Wayne knew what had happened, and maybe he wanted it that way.
Wayne raised his hands in the air, offering up himself in surrender. A SWAT officer pushed Wayne to the ground, folding his hands behind his back and cuffing him. Three more officers helped drag Batman to a SWAT van, at least five others getting in with him to be sure he didn't go anyway.
The driver looked to Gordon. “Where do we take him?”
Gordon sighed. “Where else? Arkham.” He suddenly felt the need for a cigarette.
Gordon felt some pent-up anger growing in his gut. This was not what he wanted to be doing right now. Arkham wasn't where he was needed, and he knew it was just an excuse of Garcia's. Gordon wasn't sure what the mayor was up to, but there was something there. Gordon couldn't refuse, of course, because this was his job; he had work to do. So since when did his job description include watching over Joker as he was checked in to Arkham?
It wasn't, that was just the thing. Sure, being commissioner meant he over saw every police and crime related incident, but something like this didn't need him. What was Gordon going to add to the equation of the Joker did try to escape? Shoot him? Maybe, but anyone could do that. Gordon had a feeling, though, that the Joker wasn't going to anywhere. Not only was he behaving, but he seemed happy to be going back into a padded cell.
Gordon followed after the guards, keeping a few feet behind them, listening to the Joker as he hummed a few nursery rhymes, now and then trying to stretch his head back to look at Gordon. Finally, they walked in through the pat-down, nothing on him, and then they fitted him with a straight jacket, all the while the Joker was giggling and laughing. Gordon was about to leave when they walked the Joker to his cell, when the he turned around quickly and looked at the commissioner curiously.
“I've heard things... certain things about a certain Gotham Prince,” the Joker said, squinting his eyes. “And if rumors are true, I'm not surprised.” The Joker began to chuckle, and Gordon did the honors himself of pushing the freak into his cell before he could insinuate anything more. Gordon watched as the metal lock on the door clicked before turning away. One of the guards that brought the Joker in stepped up beside Gordon as they started for the exit.
“Is it true?” the guard asked, and Gordon feel the man's eyes on him, searching for the same answer the Joker was. Gordon didn't look at the man, stepping up his pace.
“Rumors are just that... Rumors,” Gordon said. The guard stopped but Gordon kept walking. He didn't have time for this, he needed to call Wayne. He prayed to God that nothing had happened. He walked past the security check point and to the check-in desk. He motioned at the phone and the woman shrugged.
Gordon took the phone and dialed Wayne's number. It rang until his voice-mail picked up. Gordon hung up and tried Wayne Enterprises instead. Sally, Wayne's secretary answered.
“Mister Wayne's office,” she greeted in a cheery tone.
“This is Commissioner Gordon, is Mister Wayne available to talk?” Gordon asked, hoping that Wayne had just gone into a meeting, or stepped out for a minute, something that seemed feasible.
“Mister Wayne left about an hour ago, Commissioner. He didn't mention coming back to the office today. I assume he went home.”
Gordon felt his heart leap. He didn't even want to know what Wayne could get into, especially if he didn't have his car which meant he either took a taxi or called Alfred. As awful as it was for Alfred, Gordon hoped Wayne had called the butler, in case he lost it again.
“Thanks,” Gordon said quickly, hanging up the phone. Home could mean the Manor or Penthouse. Gordon fished his keys out of his pocket. Penthouse was closer, he'd check there first.
------
Bruce had returned to Wayne Manor, throwing open the front door, walking swiftly past Alfred, and headed back towards the study. He could hear Alfred's footsteps just paces behind his, making some sort mumbling noise that Bruce couldn't quite hear over the loud racing of his heartbeat. He was so angry, so very, very angry. He turned the corner into the study and hit the keys on the piano and walked through the hidden door. Alfred stepped in after him, tapping him on the shoulder as they stepped onto the elevator lift.
“Master Wayne, might I ask what you're doing?” Alfred asked calmly. He more concern than anything in his eyes and Bruce almost felt sorry for the old man, but it wasn't enough to distract him. Bruce narrowed his eyes and looked away as the lift came to a stop in the batcave.
“I'm going to find him and then I'm going to finish what I should have finished a long time ago,” Bruce explained in a ragged growl. He walked over to the computer console and hit a button. The cage holding the batsuit to pop up out of the ground, and Bruce started to walk towards it. Alfred was still trailing behind him, wrenching his hands together, worriedly.
“Who, sir?” the older gentleman asked. Bruce was stripping his t-shirt off, turning to face Alfred again.
“Joker,” Bruce said. He tossed the shirt to the ground and took off his jeans, finding the body mesh body suit in the cage and slipping it on. Alfred bent to pick up Bruce's discarded clothing, but didn't say anything else. Wise choice, Pennyworth. Bruce then picked up each piece of armor and started to fit them on one-by-one. Bruce finally put the last piece on, fitting the cape to the clasps on the shoulder armor. He placed the cowl over his head, drawing it down over his face. Alfred sighed.
“And what do I tell the commissioner when he calls, Sir?” he asked sullenly. Bruce walked to the batpod, lifting one leg over the side, straddling the motorbike.
“It doesn't matter,” Bruce said loudly over the roar of the engine as he started it up. It does though, you don't want him to try and stop you, Bruce. You know Gordon will, it's duty. Wouldn't matter, Gordon wouldn't find it him, not soon enough. Bruce revved the engine and took off out of the batcave, jumping the ledge of the waterfall and landing across the gulch, heading across the bridge towards Gotham. If there was any way to find the Joker, it would be from the radio tower.
-----
Stephens watched as Anthony Garcia stood in front of the podium just inside the entrance of City Hall, waiting for all the reporters to settle down before he started the press conference. The media wanted to know what was happening with the Joker, since the hearing had been private, no one really had the chance to know. Garcia told Stephens that this was the next step to the plan, and that directly after the conference Stephens would need to contact Gordon to meet them at MCU. If all went as planned, everything would work perfectly.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, thank you for coming on short notice. I know you're all wondering the results of the court hearing for the Joker. Rest assured he is still in custody and will not be set free,” Garcia explained, placing his hands on the podium. “He is being transferred back to Arkham. It was decided the best choice for him at this time. Arkham is more equipped to handle a criminal of his... demeanor.”
“But hasn't the Joker escaped Arkham numerous times in the past?” a blond reporter asked, Stephens thought for sure it was Vickie Vale of the Gotham Gazette; notorious for starting rumors and false accusations. She wasn't wrong about this one though.
“Yes... But Arkham has gone through some changes in the past few weeks and we've hired more security and a few more doctors. There is not a chance he'll escape this time.” Garcia smiled, one of those fake smiles that he always had on his face when he lied. Stephens knew it was only a matter of time before the Joker escaped again.
“You said he's being transferred back. Are we to assume he isn't there yet?” Vale asked, giving her own best, fake smile. Garcia's smile turned into one of those genuine ones; this was exactly what he wanted to be asked. Stephens sighed, looking down at his feet. Lying to the press to get what they wanted was far from what he signed up for when he joined the GCPD fifteen years ago.
“There was a few moments where we thought he had escaped. But he's back in the hands of Gotham's Finest now. He's being transported to Arkham as we speak. There was paperwork that needed to be done before hand. Rest assured we have a whole SWAT team assisting in this. There will not be any escapes tonight.” Garcia was a little too humble and Stephens almost felt sick even being a part of this. Garcia glanced at him, nodding his head just slightly. Stephens returned the nod and walked off towards his car parked just outside the building. He turned on the police scanner and picked up the receiver. He knew Gordon's phone had died, so he hoped that the commissioner was in his car.
-----
Gordon had tried the penthouse but with no avail; no one answered. He couldn't very well call Wayne Manor, his cell phone being dead and all. He sat in his car and turned on the scanner. He hoped to God he didn't hear anything about bat sightings, but just in case he needed to listen. What he did hear was Stephens calling out his CB number, asking for a response.
“Gerry?” Gordon asked into the receiver. “What's going on?”
“Jim, there is slight situation and Garcia wants you at MCU ASAP.” Stephen's said quickly. “I can't really talk about it over the air.”
“On my way,” Gordon answered. Whatever it was it sounded urgent, and Gordon couldn't help but hope that it didn't have anything to do with Wayne or the Joker. So why was his gut telling him otherwise? Gordon started the car and headed to MCU, trying to keep his speed within limit.
-----
Bruce didn't need to hear twice. The press conference had been more than audible from the radio waves, and everything he needed to know about where the Joker was headed. So, Bruce didn't get to him before the Joker was recaptured, that was okay; Bruce was going to get him either way. Those SWAT vans weren't protected enough to keep Batman out. Bruce knew the route from the courthouse to Arkham like the back of his hand. He headed towards the avenue.
Just as he assumed, one SWAT van and five police escorts were screeching down the street, a police blockade preventing the flow of any other traffic. This felt familiar to Bruce, just like when Harvey was being transferred and the Joker was after him. Except this time Bruce was doing the chasing and it was the Joker's turn to take the fall.
Yes, Bruce. You can finally do what needed to be done. Yes, I can. It didn't matter now that a little piece of his brain was telling him no, that this was not the way it should be done, because over the roar of the his engine and the black thoughts that clouded his mind, he just didn't notice. Bruce hit the throttle and threw the bike into third, roaring up beside the van. He barely had a moment to notice that the police cars had slowed, leaving Bruce and the armored van.
Maybe they want you to finish it, maybe they're tired of Joker, too. Do everyone a favor and get rid of him, Bruce. Stop wasting time! Bruce sped forward ahead of the van and stopped the bike a good twenty feet in front of the van. The SWAT driver had to hit the breaks quickly, the van's tired skidded, and tip the van to it's side. The driver quickly crawled out as Bruce jumped off the batpod, running up to the van, using the blades on his arm armor to break the lock on the door, throwing the doors open.
Empty.
What the hell... Bruce felt very betrayed, as if for some reason he had either been tricked or set-up. Maybe both. This is what you get, Bruce, when you allow yourself to be overcome with emotions. You should have just gone with Gordon and not given him a choice, then you could have had to chance to take the Joker down. But now the question was, why? Why would they do this? The police cars had come to a complete stop behind him, the SWAT driver had out his shot-gun, training it on Bruce.
This was not how he was going to be taken down.
-----
Gordon walked briskly through the halls of MCU until he reached his office where Garcia and Stephens were waiting. Garcia looked at him emotionless and even. Gordon hated that, it meant there was something they weren't letting him in on and one way or another, he was going to find out what it was.
“Jim, glad you got here so quickly,” Garcia said, not even a tone of greeting or happiness to his voice. Gordon looked to Stephens, who a noticeable frown on his face. There was something wrong with this situation, and Gordon had a feeling everything was about to fall down around him.
“We have calls coming in that Batman is out on the prowl. I thought you took care of this situation?” Garcia asked.
“I did. I wasn't aware of this... I was busy all day. I can't keep track of him all the time –” Gordon was trying to explain himself but he knew the more he talked, the worse the situation was becoming.
“No, Jim. You can't keep track of him and it's not your job to do so. You've gotten too close this and it's time you backed off and did your job,” Garcia said firmly, stepping up closer to Gordon so that they were just a few hands lengths apart. Stephens' cell phone rang and he picked it up, both Gordon and Garcia looked over at him. Stephens covered the mouth piece of the phone, looking to Garcia knowingly and avoiding Gordon's gaze altogether. Gordon thought that suspicious.
“They've got him down on Fifth and Norton, but he's putting up a bit of a fight. They're calling in more ground and air coverage from SWAT,” Stephens stated, going back to the phone call. Gordon looked to Garcia, knowing full well that this was the mayor's doing; he set it up to trap Wayne, to call him out and get him behind bars once and for all.
“Well Gordon, what are you going to do? You're job or are you going to go to his rescue?” Garcia asked, his gaze was steady on Gordon, but the commissioner wasn't about to back down. He'd have to see this through and it was obvious Wayne had made his own choice. Garcia wasn't playing around and Gordon knew his job was on the line here.
“Job,” he said sourly, shifting on his heels and heading back down the corridor to the front entrance. He had to get to Wayne, had to figure out what exactly what going on here. Why was he out anyway? What set him off?
Gordon hopped back into his car and drove to Fifth and Norton. It was luckily not that far, and hard to miss at that. At least a dozen cop cars, a few more SWAT vans and a helicopter circling above the area Wayne was in. Gordon parked the car and stumbled out, running up to the crowd of officers huddled around, pointing guns at Batman, but no one could get a clear shot. Gordon looked at the mess of splayed bodies on the ground. Gordon didn't even want to know if any of them were dead, he was hoping Wayne wouldn't have time to think about killing in a situation where he had a lot more to take down than just a few men.
Batman had one officer by the collar, bringing him up to meet his face directly. “Where is he? Where is the Joker?” Wayne growled through gritted teeth. The officer shook his head, shaking under in Batman's strong hands. Gordon stepped forward and Bruce turned to face him, a rage so violent in his eyes that Gordon was sure the man probably didn't even recognize him at that moment.
“He's in Arkham. He's been in Arkham for three hours now. He's not here,” Gordon said calmly, stepping forward. Wayne thew the officer at Gordon, toppling them both to the ground. Wayne let out an growl so loud that it shook Gordon's ear drums. The billionaire had really lost it, and there would be no getting him out of this now. More SWAT arrived behind Batman, one of the members had gotten up right behind him, and as Gordon found his footing again, he stood. Wayne looked at him now with a knowing in his eyes, and some apologetic quirk to his lips. It was then that Gordon was sure Wayne knew what had happened, and maybe he wanted it that way.
Wayne raised his hands in the air, offering up himself in surrender. A SWAT officer pushed Wayne to the ground, folding his hands behind his back and cuffing him. Three more officers helped drag Batman to a SWAT van, at least five others getting in with him to be sure he didn't go anyway.
The driver looked to Gordon. “Where do we take him?”
Gordon sighed. “Where else? Arkham.” He suddenly felt the need for a cigarette.