#29: Walking The Line (Burchette / Yarmovich)

Spring was in the air. Even in a city like Gotham, you could feel the warm breeze that
was driving the winter chill away from the night.

Commissioner Gordon stood on the roof and waited, as he had done many times before. It was rare that he got a call from him. It was usually the other way around, and the fact that he had wanted to see Gordon twice now made the Commissioner extremely nervous.

He supposed the recent prison break may have had something to do with it. The Joker and his new gang springing Maroni was a pretty big deal. It had happened earlier that evening and hadn’t even gone out on the wire yet; they had kept it as hushed as possible. But he was sure that Batman knew.

“Just another move in Ra’s’ overall plan,” Batman muttered as if reading his mind, as he came around the unlit signal that stood on the roof.

Jim Gordon jumped again, and then slammed his foot down. “Dammit! Will you stop doing that!”

“Occupational habit,” Batman said.

“What’s going on, Batman?” Jim asked. “This is the second time in less than two days that you’ve called me up here. You’ve told me what’s going on, about this Guhl character, and I’ve got the entire force on standby, ready for anything. What else is there?”

“I wanted you to know that I’m in the process of recruiting extra help.”

“Wait,” Gordon said. “You refused help from the Justice League, told Nightwing not to bring in the Titans, and now you’re telling me that you’re recruiting? You going to tell me the whole story, or is this one of those, ‘learn as we follow behind you’, plans?”

Batman gave him a cold stare, but Jim held his ground. He respected the man, admired him on many levels, but Gordon was still the law in Gotham, and sometimes it irritated him that the Dark Knight seemed to forget that.

“This is Gotham’s battle, and it stays in Gotham, but that doesn’t mean I won’t use every resource available to me. Ra’s is massing an army, and we have to do the same. I know what part of his plan is, and I think I can stop it before it grows too large.”
“What do you need from me?” Gordon asked.

“I want you to get me into Arkham.”

“What are you talking about?” Jim said. “You’ve been sneaking in and out of Gotham for years now. Don’t give me that look, I’m not stupid, I’ve known about that all along.”

“This is different. I need to be able to walk through the front door, seen. It’s the only way to really get his attention.”

“Whose attention?” Gordon asked.

“Harvey’s.”

Batman let the name hang in the air for a second before he proceeded.

“Ra’s is going to try and pull together as many crime bosses as possible. He wants this city, he wants to take it from me, and Harvey will be on his list. I’ve got to get to Harvey before he does, if he hasn’t already. If Dent knows that I’m coming through the front door, it might throw him off, confuse him. I don’t have time for subtlety.”

Gordon chewed on the end of a pipe that he had pulled out. He had just recently given up cigarettes, but couldn’t break the habit completely. “Alright, consider it done. Give me one hour.”

Batman nodded, “I’ve also enlisted the aid of Black Mask.”

“No way! You do realize that you’re talking about the man who killed dozens of innocent people!”

“I know what he’s done,” Bruce replied shortly. Not only had Mask murdered so many innocents, but also the father to the boy that he now cared for. “He’s also the one psycho that I can guarantee is on our side. He’s running scared and mad as hell that The Joker stole his gang right out from under him.”

“And what about The Joker?” Gordon asked.

Batman walked away, looking out upon his city. “I’ll handle Joker… I always do.”

“Good luck,” Gordon said as he turned and went back inside.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” came a feminine and seductive voice from the darkness behind Bruce.

Batman didn’t even turn to greet her, “I was hoping you would make it.”

“With all the trouble you must have gone to for me to get the message, how could I refuse?”

“If you accept, you’ll be my ace in the hole.” Batman stated.

“Oh, I’m in. Sounds like fun, really, and I’ve been so bored lately.”

“Good. This doesn’t change anything between us, you understand.”

“Nor would I want it to,” the female said from the shadows. “I’ve always enjoyed our relationship just as it is.”

“We don’t have a relationship,” Batman whispered harshly, but when he turned around, he realized he was alone on the building. He allowed himself a slight smile before he headed towards his car.

Alfred Pennyworth was a man of many talents. Thanks to his training back in his homeland, moving quietly came easily to him. He hadn’t quite mastered it the way his employer had, but he was more than capable of slipping down into the batcave unnoticed.

He approached young Tim Drake from behind, noting the computer screen and the face that had been pulled up. Inevitable, he knew, but unsettling all the same. Master Tim was investigating the crime boss known as Vito Bertinelli; the man who had been implicated in Tim’s mother’s death.

“There is a fine line between vengeance and justice,” Alfred said quietly.

Tim nearly jumped out of his seat, turning, his face becoming beat red. “It’s not what it—”

“Please don’t, Master Tim. It would be insulting to me and very much beneath you.”

The young man stopped short and said nothing else, just turning back around and continuing to read about the Bertinelli’s upcoming trial in Las Vegas. He couldn’t help but stare at the pictures of the man, as if he was trying to take in every minute detail of the criminal’s appearance.

“Are you sure that justice is your motivation, Master Tim?” Alfred asked him.

Tim clenched his fists. “Yes… no… maybe. Are you telling me it’s wrong to want the person who killed my mother to pay?”

The picture of a young boy kneeling in front of his dead parents in an alley flashed through Alfred’s mind, and he sighed. “No… no it isn’t, as long as you truly understand the difference between bringing him to justice and taking justice into your own hands.”

“Of course,” Tim snapped.

“And you do understand that your training is only beginning. You have a long way to go, before you will even put the costume on.”

“Well I haven’t started roaming the streets for Black Mask yet, have I?” Tim asked, petulance creeping into his voice. “Anyway, with Bruce’s attitude, I’m never going to get the chance to prove myself, even though he knows how quickly I figured out his secret.”

Alfred nodded, “Your detective skills are most impressive for a young man of your age, there is no doubt of that. But your physical skills need much work. As for Master Bruce, it will take time, but perseverance and discipline go a long way with him, if you understand what I am trying to say.”

Tim sighed. “Yeah, I do.” He turned off the computer. “So what’s on the agenda for this evening?”

“Tonight we begin working on your endurance as well as acrobatic skills.”

“I didn’t know you were an acrobat, too?”

Alfred smiled. “I wasn’t, but I have had the privilege of observing the best acrobat on this planet.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “Is there anything that Batman isn’t the best at?”

“My dear boy, who said I was talking about Master Bruce?”

Two-Face was waiting for him when he walked into the room. He was leaning back in his chair and flipping his coin, a smirk covering the Dent side of his face.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Gotham’s protector. What the hell do you want? Must be pretty big for you to actually walk through the front door.”

“I don’t have time for the games, Harvey,” Batman growled. “You’ve been played. You, Black Mask, Penguin, Joker, me, the entire city… and it’s time for us to strike back.”

The eye on Harvey’s side of the face narrowed, while the scarred eye grew even larger, indicating complete and total interest.

“That’s a pretty ballsy statement. Who’s that smart, or that stupid, to do something like that?”

“Smart. His name is Ra’s Al Ghul, and he wants nothing more than total control of Gotham City, and everyone in it. He’s been moving us around like chess pieces for a very long time now, and it’s time to put a stop to it.”

Two-Face leaned forward, intrigued. “Us? As in you and I?”

“Among others.”

“And who would these others be?”

“Does it matter?”

Thinking about it for a second, Harvey grabbed his coin and flipped it into the air. He caught it and flipped it over, looking back at his nemesis. “Yes, apparently it does.”

Batman glared, but answered. “You, me, the hero known as Nightwing, Black Mask, and Penguin… as well as The Gotham City Police Department.”

Harvey started to laugh. “You must be desperate, old friend, if you think that Black Mask, Penguin, and I could actually work together again. It hasn’t even been a month since the three of us tried to kill each other.”

“It doesn’t matter. The three of you have one major goal in common. You want to be on top of this city, and with Ra’s Al Ghul out there, I promise you that isn’t going to happen. ever. At least with me you have a fighting chance.”

“Are you trying to tell me that this Ghul character is better than you?” Harvey asked with genuine surprise in his voice.

“No. I’m telling you that he’s better than the three of you, and although he has his own warped code of honor, leaving people alive is not part of it. If Ra’s gets a hold of this city, every one of you is a dead man; none of you have a chance.”

“It still sounds to me like you’re not sure you can stop him on your own.” Two-Face smirked.

“Exactly,” came the quiet reply.

Two-Face took in that one word and then flipped his coin. He snatched it out of the air and held it tight in his palm. His face betrayed his conflicting emotions as he stared at his closed fist, until finally he looked up. “I’m in.”

Batman took note of the fact that he had not looked at his coin. “Good,” Batman replied. “I’ll be in touch.”

Harvey watched as he turned sharply and walked out the door. A shiver went down his spine at the implications of everything that had just transpired, and for the first time in a long time, he felt true fear.