#25: Wheel In The Sky (Burchette)

“Our top story tonight: Death and destruction reigns down on Gotham City as two different explosions, in two different parts of town, rip a path of destruction throughout the city. Over an hour ago, a freighter erupted into a ball of flames just minutes after it had arrived on the docks of Gotham. The Gotham City Police have made no comments so far, but we have learned that the freighter was owned by businessman Oswald Cobblepot, and had just arrived from South Africa.

Then, less than a half hour ago, there was another explosion, this time in the heart of Gotham’s entertainment district, as The Iceberg Lounge went up in flames. Preliminary reports reveal that there might have actually been two explosions, but this is an ongoing situation. We have our own Paul Turner on his way to the scene as we speak.

With both the freighter and the Iceberg Lounge being owned by Mr. Cobblepot, the question remains on how related these explosions were. There is still no word on any casualties at this point, but we will keep you up to date as details become available.”



Pieces of glass went flying as the table lamp embedded itself into the television set. The room was silent and all eyes turned to Black Mask who stood in the center of the room; his breathing was heavy, as if trying to maintain control of himself.

He swung around and faced several of his men. “You two,” he said, pointing to Jack Drake and Danny Tate, “get down to the Iceberg Lounge and find out what the hell is going on! Don’t come back until you know what happened to Penguin and Two-Face. Is that understood?”

They both nodded and left the room, without saying a word.

“Damn you, Dent! This is your doing… I can feel it in my bones.”

“Sir?” One of his men approached him cautiously.

Black Mask turned to him and crossed his arms, but said nothing… just waited.

“I think you need to know, that your guy… Jack… well, I saw him earlier this evening, talking to Two-Face. They seemed really… chummy.”

“Really? How interesting…” Roman mused to himself.

Reports were coming in slowly… too slowly for Carmine Falcone. He was livid at losing so many of his best men. He had been set up, but by who? Things had taken a turn for the worse in the last twenty-four hours. So bad, in fact, that he had actually done the unthinkable… he had spoken with The Batman.

Black Mask, Two-Face, The Penguin - they were all against him; all trying to bring him down. Some sort of alliance between them, and it was obvious that they had someone on the inside… but who? WHO?!

There was a knock at the door and one of his captains came in.

“Better be good news,” Falcone warned.

The captain shrugged, “Not sure. Explosion at the Iceberg Lounge was confirmed. Rumor is that Two-Face unloaded a bunch of lead into Cobblepot before the bombs went off. They’re still bringing out bodies, but so far neither Dent nor Penguin has been seen.”

Falcone grinned. “Good. If they’ve turned on each other already, maybe they’ll leave me the $%@# alone!”

Gordon was pacing as he listened to Chloe Sullivan confirm everything that his two detectives had discovered. More fire trucks had arrived, along with ambulances, and bodies were beginning to be dragged out.

“Fine, but I still want to know what the DEO is doing in Gotham,” Jim demanded.

“That’s confidential,” Chloe said, stiffly.

James Gordon stopped pacing, his eyes becoming ablaze. “At this point, nothing is confidential! You tell me what the hell you’re doing in my city, or so help me God I will have every officer in this city down on you and your people so fast and so hard, it will make your head spin!”

“Don’t threaten me,” Chloe snapped as she clenched her fists. “I outrank you in so many ways. One call and I’ll have you writing parking tickets in Des Moines, Iowa!”

“Try it, Sullivan. You might just do it at that, but not before my men and I make sure this little house of cards you built up comes tumbling down all around you! I’m sick and tired of all these damn special agencies that are popping up all over the place, acting like they run the whole frickin’ country! You want us to cooperate, then you better lay all the cards on the table.”

Even with the noise and the chaos encompassing them, the silence between them was deafening. Neither was going to give an inch, and everyone around them knew that.

“This one’s alive!” came the shout of a firefighter as he and his partner carried out a body.

Everyone turned at once and moved in synchronicity towards the body being carried out. His long nose, his tattered and blood-soaked tuxedo, and his beady little eyes told them all that it was Oswald Cobblepot.

“What’s his condition?” Gordon demanded.

“He’s taken several bullets to the back, but because of where he was lying in proximity to the bombs, he actually survived the blast. He had crawled behind the bar before the explosion, from what we could see; it protected him… I just don’t know for how long. His vitals are critical. We need to get him to the hospital and into surgery as quickly as possible.”

“Go,” Gordon barked as he watched them carry the mob boss away.
He turned to one of the other firemen. “What about Two-Face?”

The fireman shook his head. “The only thing left are pieces of bodies, mostly DEO agents from the look of it. No sign of anything resembling Two-Face.”

“No body means he’s still alive,” Chloe said as several of her agents gathered around her. From the other side, a half dozen or so of Gotham’s finest were making their way up to the Commissioner, wanting their next orders.

“What are you doing in Gotham?” Gordon demanded again.

“None of your business,” Chloe snapped. “Now what I need you to do is get your men to…”

He let out a cry of rage that none had ever heard. James Gordon was a man who was always in control. The best commissioner Gotham had seen in over two decades, mostly because of his belief in the system, and ability to put personal ego and issues aside. This Gordon, however, was a man on the edge.

Neither side expected it when Gordon grabbed Special Agent Sullivan by the lapels of her coat and slammed her against the wall. The DEO agents were first to respond, pulling their weapons out, aiming at the Commissioner. The GCP reacted instinctively as their guns flew up as well, causing the DEO agents to turn their attention on the more immediate threat to their own lives.

“Oh my God! Hold your fire! Hold your fire!” Sarah screamed as she, Crispus Allen, and Renee Montoya leapt into the middle of the fray; all of them holding their arms out between the two factions.

“Put your guns down!” Harvey Bullock screamed as he aimed his towards the nearest government agent.

Chloe Sullivan, pinned against the wall, did not try to get out of her situation. She let her body relax, looking Gordon in the eyes. “Is that liquor I smell on your breath, Commissioner?” She emphasized the last word with an arch of her eyebrow.

Breathing heavy, Gordon released his hold. “I want to know why the DEO is here. I have a right to know, dammit! We have very few metas in this city.”

Chloe gave him a wan smile. “Maybe there are more here than you realize… at least one more.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s go somewhere and talk in private,” she said.

They both turned to the Mexican stand-off behind them. Gordon was the first to bark the order to stand down, but Sullivan was right behind him, giving her own men the same instructions. They walked away from the scene as each side continued to stare at each other coldly.

Batman closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he hid in the ventilation system of the Gotham City Police Department’s main headquarters. He was fighting the urge to do what he had just imagined. He really didn’t have time for all this sneaking around, but if he was going to check on what Tim had told him, he had to be as quiet as possible.

Part of him was fighting the idea that it was true, but if it was, he was going to get Alfred’s remains and examine them himself. As much as he wanted to just burst through the front doors and claim it for himself, even in his anxiety and grief, he was anything but stupid. Batman taking the head of Alfred Pennyworth would raise way to much suspicion. There was already a link between Alfred and Bruce Wayne; he couldn’t afford any more.

He made his way through the shafts, peering out of the vent when he arrived at the morgue. He had gotten a break, nobody was in the room. He scanned it quickly and his eyes came to rest on the object he had hoped he wouldn’t see. There, on the examining table, lay the head of Alfred. His blood ran cold, and for the first time in nearly thirty years, he froze as he had done in that alley. His world was once again being ripped from him. Oh God! Alfred!

Closing his eyes, he did what he did best; he shut down, drew on his inner strength, blocked his emotions, and retrieved the dismembered body part of his oldest friend.

“So that’s all of it?” Gordon asked as he sipped his coffee, watching Chloe Sullivan’s face carefully.

She nodded. “Put yourself in our shoes, Commissioner. Next to Keystone City, Gotham has the most amounts of rogues in a very small area. The government is aware that most of Flash’s enemies are metas, but Gotham’s criminal element is still a mystery to us.”

“Less than one percent has ever shown any signs of meta-human activity,” Jim countered.

Again she nodded in agreement, raising her finger. “… But! Not every meta has an overt ability. Some of the most dangerous men in the world are some of the smartest, and it’s quite possible that the brain power they’re using, might be… enhanced.”

“But why not come to me? We could have worked this together, or at least I should have been aware of the operation!”

Chloe sighed, but gave her new friend a cold look. “I regret to inform you, Commissioner, but when it comes to the Gotham City Police Department, the track record for dirty cops runs a bit high.”

He wanted to retort, but he couldn’t. She was right, dammit! “I’m working on that,” he mumbled, embarrassed.

Her face softened. “I know that, Jim. We’ve been watching you. You’re a good man, and that’s hard to come by in this city. I promise you, from here on out, the DEO and the GCPD work together. Our main goal right now is to find out more about this Black Mask. We want to know if he’s a meta-human or not. We’ve got men undercover, and we’re hoping that they’ll come up with something soon.”

James Gordon said nothing, giving her a drawn smile. God forgive him, all he could think about was his wife, his son, and the bottle of bourbon waiting for him at home.

“TIM!” Leslie shouted for the umpteenth time as she roamed the cave. She was becoming alarmed. Why had he just disappeared?

“Where’s the boy?” The voice came from the dark shadows of the cave.

She jumped and let out a small scream as Batman stepped out, a box under his right arm.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again! I am not one of your criminals that you can…” She stopped when she saw the package he was carrying. “Oh no…”

He thrust it at her, a look of annoyance on his face when she recoiled from it. “I want you to examine it. Find out everything you can.”

“I’m not a medical examiner, Bruce. I don’t know what…”

“You’re all I’ve got at the moment. You’ll find that my lab has everything you’ll need. Just do it,” he snapped as he placed he box in her hands and walked towards his computer.

She stared at him, as she drifted between fiery anger and sickening repulsion for what she was holding. “Don’t you talk to me like that!”

He ignored her as he sat down, studying his console. He began to punch the keys, bringing up the last several items that had been displayed. “I don’t have time for this,” he said to himself.

“What is it?”

“He hacked into some of my personal files. He found the information I was gathering on his father. I think he’s gone after him.” He glanced down at the small notepad on the desk, noticing the imprint on the blank page. Grabbing a pen he began to shade it in, until the words rose from the page. It was the addresses that he had yet to find time to investigate. Possible places where Black Mask had been hiding.

“Bruce… we need to talk,” Leslie said quietly.

“I don’t have time,” he replied irritably. “I knew it. I knew this was all a big mistake. I shouldn’t have trusted him… shouldn’t have listened to Alfred.”

“About Alfred…”

“I SAID I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!” Batman roared as he leapt up, knocking the chair down behind him. He was making his way towards his car.

Leslie sat the box down and marched after him. Catching up to him, she grabbed his arm, and with strength she didn’t realize she had, spun him around. Her eyes widened as she saw his right arm come up, his hand clenched into a fist. For a second she truly thought he was going to strike her. He brought his arm down quickly, turning away, but not before she saw the glimmer of shame in his face. Even his mask could not hide it.

“Bruce, please…”

“I can’t,” he whispered. “Not yet. There’s too much work to be done. If you want to help me… if you want to help Alfred… then do what I ask.”

She stood there, her heart breaking for him. She knew what he was thinking. Alfred had been the cord that had kept him grounded. He had known Bruce’s pain, a pain they had both shared for many years. Now the final connection between him and his parents was gone.

Leslie relented. “Alright. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to find Tim, then I’m going to put an end to this once and for all.”

She watched his cloak disappear into the car as he rode off. “Good luck, Bruce.”

This was the second place he had come to. The first had been a bust, but Boss Maroni’s old office was second on Batman’s list, so Tim figured it would be one of the more important places to check.

Sneaking into the building had been easy. He had just waited outside a back entrance until an employee from somewhere inside had walked out. He had slipped through the door right before it had closed.

Now on the inside, he made his way to the elevator, looking to see where the supposed abandoned office was. He wasn’t surprised to see it was on the top floor. He entered the elevator and headed up.

Chloe Sullivan slammed down her phone and cursed. Why was one of her undercover agents at the hospital? That wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

There was a knock on the door and Agent Noland peaked his head in. “Sorry to bother you, but our guest is asking again when he will be released. We’re still questioning him, but either he really is in the dark, or he’s one of the best damn liars I’ve ever seen.”

“Of course he is,” she mused. “He was MI5 after all. Let him know that he is under our protection and he’ll be released when we feel that he is safe.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Noland replied as he closed the door again.

“Why, Danny?” Jack asked as he slowly made his way around the desk, moving closer to Black Mask.

“Hey, partner, I gotta go where the money is. If you’re expectin’ anything else, you’re going to be disappointed. I’ve been itching to get an assignment here. I’m tired of the lousy pay and the long hours, and for what… nothing ever changes. At least on this side of the fence, there’s a payoff.”

Jack had moved to the other side of the desk, his hands out where everyone could see them.

“Double agents, you just got to love them,” Two-Face laughed gruffly, but stopped short as the handle to the door of the office began to turn. With Black Mask and Danny Tate still aiming their guns at Jack, Two-Face turned his towards the door.

“Whoever walks through there, blast them,” Mask said simply.

“I don’t need you or a coin to tell me that,” Dent growled as he cocked his gun.

The door opened slowly and to Jack Drake’s shock and horror, his own son walked in slowly; or perhaps it just felt like his son was moving in slow motion. He screamed in terror as he leapt for Two-Face, his cries of “No!” filling up the room.

They were drowned out a second later as Two-Face fired his gun at Tim Drake and Danny Tate and Black Mask unloaded their weapons at special agent, Jack Drake.

It was at that moment, when the hail of bullets began to fly, that the window to the office shattered and the Dark Knight exploded onto the scene. A scene that would change the lives of everyone in the room…