A/N:
" " : Dialogue,
' ' : Thought,
"Italicized text" : Telepathy,
[ ] : System.
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June 8th, 2010
Nolan POV
It's been three days since I started my little stint as Nocturne, and things have been going okay, for me, that is. The Crime Families of Gotham are running headless from how quickly I'm stopping their operations. Unlike what I'd told Batman and Robin that night, my last bit of personal business with the Berrettis ended with Joey. Now, I'm taking them down for the good of Gotham City, and for those sweet, sweet Gacha Points.
I haven't touched my pool of GP since that night, but I have used the daily spins. The first of the daily spins I used was for an Item Card, and I got a friggin' Faz-Wrench from FNAF: Security Breach RUIN. It was a Common ranked Item, which I didn't even bother using, so it's still resting in my inventory. I drew for a Character Card yesterday, and I received the Helltaker. The guy with balls of steel, adamantium even, that tried and succeeded in getting a demon girl harem – one that was consisted entirely of higher-up demons at that. I wasted no time in assimilating him. He was a Rare ranked Card, by the way.
If the guy could make coffee and chocolate pancakes that could outright tame demon girls, then those have got to be some killer pancakes. Having some well-made coffee wouldn't hurt too. As for today's draw, I decided to use it for another Item Card, and I can safely say that I was thoroughly disappointed.
[Item Card: Hand Saw (Buckshot Roulette)] – Common
While I didn't like it, I did remember that I could use these items that I had deemed useless or too dangerous for something else, Gacha Points. Using the system window, I recycled the Hand Saw, the Faz-Wrench, the Bat, and the Terror Mask for a total of 43GP, bringing my total to 325GP.
In these past three days, I'd taken down over 1000 goons, with some of them being from different Crime Families, and the majority of that group being from the multiple gangs of Gotham. I took out some guys from the Street Demonz, the Dockyard Dogs, the Black Clouds, and some from the East Side Dragons, freeing the dogs that they used in their dogfights.
The ones from the Crime Families were all having one deal or the other going down; drugs, weapons, people, or even money. And I made sure to shut them down before they had any chance to complete the deal, leaving them much worse for wear than before.
Gordon had a press conference yesterday addressing the presence of the new vigilante that had been targeting much of Gotham's Organized Crime, seemingly alone. While the GCPD was thankful for the help, they weren't liking the fact that all of their perps were left in conditions that wouldn't allow them to live normally, should they recover.
But leaving that behind, I was moving around town on the rooftops, as one does, but unlike what my name would suggest, I'm doing this in the daytime. Unlike Batman and Robin, I don't have much of a civilian life to go back to, especially since I've given the few people I was close to the illusion that I had left town for greener pastures, so that means that I can funnel more of my time into fighting crime than they can. That's how I've ended up here.
"Stay the fuck back! Or I'll shoot this little bastard in the face!" The masked robber I'd stopped shouted at me while pointing a gun at a young boy's head. I'd taken down his pals and left them bound with Arc Restraint, so even if they woke up, they wouldn't be able to do anything but wait for the cops to take them in. The only reason he'd even been able to get this far was because he was the lookout and was farther away from their target.
"Bobby!!" The boy's mother shouted as she moved to get her son back. Reckless, definitely an out-of-towner. Gothamites know that you don't move around when someone's waving a gun, unless it's to cover. "Bitch, I said stay back!" The man shouted, now pointing the gun at her. An opening.
Moving faster than he could react, I dashed up to him and grabbed the gun's barrel with a tight grip, crushing it, then held his head and shook it back and forth quickly, causing his brain to impact his skull just enough to disrupt any signals. By the time he could make any sense of what I was doing, he was already on the floor, his arms and legs unable to catch any thoughts to move.
"Hey, kid. Good job not flailing around. You're pretty strong for that." I said, ruffling Bobby's hair as I used Bio Pulse on him, healing him of any wounds he may have gotten. "Oh my God! Bobby! Are you alright?!" His mother shouted as she ran up and grabbed her son, checking him for wounds. "Hey, lady. I don't know where you're from, but if you wanna stay here in Gotham, then you're gonna need to be more vigilant. For your sake… and his." I said, then moved over to the robber and slung him over my shoulder.
"Well, let's get you over to your friends. Don't want the cops to waste any energy searching for you guys." I said, then left the area with the robber on my back. But as I got closer to where I had left the others, I felt an additional presence there, and it wasn't Bruce or Dick. As I reached them, I saw a man in a police uniform pulling out a gun from his chest holster, intent on shooting the robbers I'd restrained in their heads.
Before he could even aim, I fired a Lightning Bolt at him, causing him to drop the gun as his body spasmed from the electricity coursing through his body. I dropped beside the robbers and placed the one on my shoulder on the ground, before also putting Arc Restraints on him. I turned to face the cop I had shocked, and using Ren, I forced the full brunt of my bloodlust onto him, scaring him stiff.
"Hey, so which family sent you?" I asked, getting to the meat of the interrogation before he could start playing dumb, and his breath hitched. Seeing that he wasn't going to talk without some strong persuasion, I used Transform underneath my armor, shifting into another character from My Hero Academia – Hitoshi Shinso, whose Quirk was Brainwashing. "So, you gonna talk, or do I gotta beat the words outta you?" I asked him while activating the Quirk.
He smiled at me as I asked him that. "Go fuck yourself." Hook, line and sinker. As he responded, his eyes went glassy and his body went limp, the Quirk taking effect even as he was braced against the wall. "Now, answer all my questions truthfully." I said, and he nodded, his gaze vacant.
For the next few minutes, I drew out as much info as I could get out of the guy. He was a mole for the Sabatino Crime Family, and during his time in the GCPD, he'd also identified other officers who were moles for other families. As for why he was trying to kill these guys, he had received orders to destroy what little public image I had by framing me for their murders, despite the fact that I don't even use a gun.
I almost laughed at the concept of me needing a gun to help anyone migrate to the next life from this one. "I see. They see me as someone mimicking Batman, and think that I won't kill." I said and laughed to myself. "What a joke. But no matter, they'll soon learn that Batman dealing with them would be multiple times more pleasant than what I'll do to them ." I said, then turned my attention back to the mole.
"Go ahead and knock yourself out." I told him, and with a grunt, he stood up and ran full tilt into a wall, smacking his head against it with enough force to knock himself unconscious. Since the actual cops weren't gonna be here for a few more minutes, I temporarily headed away from the area over to a tech store, bought a flash drive and put the recording of the mole singing like a canary onto it, then returned.
As I got back, the sound of sirens began approaching, and I immediately knocked out the robbers, then went out of sight, i.e to a rooftop, where I observed the cops who were taking away the robbers. I looked at each of them, and unfortunately I couldn't find either Gordon or Bullock, so I left the area entirely. Maybe I'll be able to meet him later tonight.
…
Later that night
Omniscient POV
James 'Jim' Gordon has been a member of the Gotham City Police Department for well over 20 years now, and he has seen quite a lot of things during his time. He was already Commissioner by the time that Bruce Wayne became the Batman, and while he knew that the law prohibited his actions as a vigilante, he couldn't bring himself to try arresting him, and that sentiment was made especially strong upon finding out that he was one of the founding members of the Justice League.
At the same time, he feared that Batman's actions would eventually lead to the rise of new vigilantes in Gotham, who he believed would be in over their heads when it comes to Gotham's criminal world. However, now that Nocturne had made himself known to Gotham, he wasn't exactly sure how to feel about his fears.
Robin, while also a vigilante, was Batman's protégé, and therefore under adequate supervision. But as far as James was concerned, Nocturne was a wildcard. In all the people that the GCPD had come across that had been taken down by Nocturne, none of them had been dead. Despite the grotesque, battered states that he left a lot of them in, Nocturne didn't kill any of them, or leave them in states where their lives couldn't be saved by doctors.
But that was it – only their lives were spared. Any hopes of having a livelihood, or any viable form of social interaction were ruthlessly crushed by Nocturne, much like their bones. It reminded him of Batman's earlier days, when he had established himself as something to be feared by leaving so many criminals in horrible physical condition. James had even noticed that many gangs were almost silent, afraid to let themselves be seen committing crime at any time of the day. He didn't know Nocturne's motivations for becoming a vigilante, but he could only hope that they weren't malicious.
As he was thinking that, his office phone suddenly rang, interrupting his train of thought. He picked up the phone and answered the call, only to hear an entirely unfamiliar voice. "Hello, Jim. Surprised to see that you don't like the way I do things." The voice said to him, and he stilled. He had heard the voices of multiple crime bosses and gang leaders in his time as Commissioner, so he could tell that the person who was speaking to him wasn't either of those, leading to him concluding that the person talking was someone he had berated or offended recently. And the only person he could think of was Nocturne.
"You must be Nocturne. How'd you get this number?" He asked. "That's really not important, Jim. What's important now is the fact that I know that there are moles in the GCPD, and I know who they are and what precinct they're in." Nocturne replied, his voice sounding almost playful, despite the seriousness of the news he just delivered.
"You see, earlier today, I had stopped some robbers and gone off to catch their lookout, and when I returned to the robbers, I saw one of Gotham's own boys in blue pointing a gun at unconscious, restrained criminals, fully intent on gunning them down, executioner style. After stopping him, I persuaded him to tell me whose mole he was and all the information I wanted. To not alert his bosses, I simply knocked him out. Now, I believe that this information would be of interest to you." Nocturne said, and James clenched his free hand into a fist.
He wouldn't say that the GCPD was perfect, but he wouldn't ever say that it was particularly corrupt either. Then it dawned on him, these moles had to try and fit in however they could, so it probably meant that they had simply stayed away from the PD's money, kept whatever dealings they had away from the PD's eyes, and acted like regular Gotham police officers.
"What do you want?" James asked Nocturne. "For now… let's just settle with getting these crime families behind bars, preferably unable to get out." The vigilante responded. "Let's meet over in Coventry. You can call the Bat too, if you want." Nocturne said, then hung up. James was suspicious of the vigilante, but after hearing that he wouldn't ming the presence of Gotham's Caped Crusader, he decided to put aside his suspicions, for the time being.
Grabbing his coat, he went to the roof of the building, where the Bat-Signal sat, still being used almost 10 years after it was first used to call on the Batman, and turned it on. The shadow of the Bat-Signal's silhouette was cast across the frequently cloudy skies of Gotham, and less than twenty minutes later, the Batman soundlessly joined James on the roof.
"It's been a while since you turned that on, Jim. What's the problem?" Batman asked. "That guy… Nocturne… contacted me. Said he wanted a meet, and I could even bring you along." James replied. "He said he found a mole and interrogated him. Wants to give me the information to put the crime families behind bars." He said, and Batman squinted his eyes with suspicion.
"Where'd he say you should meet him?" Batman asked. "He said he'll be in Coventry. I assume that he's probably gonna contact me when I get there." Jim responded, taking a puff from a cigarette he lit before Batman arrived. "I see. I'll go ahead of you." Batman said. "Actually, about that, I…" James said, turning over to Batman, only to see that he had vanished, as usual. "Of course." He said with a sigh, then went down into his car to begin his drive to Coventry.
Thirty minutes later, James parked his car on the side of a street in Coventry. He stayed in his car, thinking that Nocturne would contact him over his personal number, only to hear knuckles rapping on his window. He looked to see who it was and saw a teenage boy dressed in a dark shirt, blue jeans, a thick jacket, and a patched-up beanie, with woolen fingerless gloves on his hands. Not wanting to let his guard down, James put his right hand on his hip holster, while his left hand wound down his window.
"What do you want, kid?" He asked the teenager. "You're here to meet him, right?" The teenager asked with an intense gaze, then turned away, looking down the street. "He's waiting for you up on that rooftop." He said, pointing to a tall apartment building in the distance, but not out of James' sight, then ran away. James stepped out of his car with his hand still on his gun, remaining cautious, as this was still Gotham, and anything could come out of the woodworks to take your life.
After confirming the location of the apartment building, he returned into his car, then drove over to it. When he entered the building, he noticed that despite the location, the place seemed quiet for the most part. The hallways were empty, but there were signs of people living in the building. As for whether they were squatters or actual tenants, he wasn't sure. But he looked past that and continued to head up to the roof, still keeping his wits around him.
Upon opening the door to the roof, he saw a cloaked figure with a laptop on their lap, the continuous sounds of mouse clicking and key tapping coming from them. "So you finally made it. Find somewhere to sit for now. I'll soon be done here." The cloaked figure, which James had clocked to be Nocturne, said. "And how much longer are you two gonna keep watching me like voyeurs?" He said, seemingly to no one.
A few seconds later, Batman and Robin stepped out of the darkness. "Good. Now that everyone's here, we can get down to business." Nocturne said, then pulled up the video of the mole confessing. It started at the point where he noticed the man pulling out his gun to execute the robbers. The video continued, showing Nocturne's short interrogation, and as James heard the names that the mole mentioned, his jaw tightened.
Over 100 police officers around Gotham were in fact, moles for the very same Crime Families that he and actual policemen and policewomen were still risking their lives to take down. He knew the faces to each of the names that had been mentioned, and he also knew that they had all been parts of multiple high-profile operations. Operations that busted drug rings, human and sex trafficking rings, and arms deals, all under his own sanctions. James hated the fact that he hadn't caught on to them for so long.
"These are the ones I've been able to confirm. While that was definitely important, it's not the only reason I called you guys." Nocturne said, shutting off the video, then moved over to a map of Gotham City with multiple points of interest marked out. "These are spots that I've been able to confirm are operating under the Crime Families. Most of them are fronts for money laundering operations, and the others are their other 'businesses'. Brothels, drug storehouses and production facilities, places packed with unmarked firearms. The whole nine yards." He said, showing a more detailed legend for what each point was.
"You go ahead and take care of the moles, Gordon. The three of us will take care of these locations while you've got your hands tied with that." He said, then looked to Batman and Robin. "I trust there's no problem with that. Right?" He said, his eyes peering at his fellow vigilantes from behind the two lenses of his featureless mask. "None." Batman said curtly.
"Good. Oh, and before I go… Gordon. Grayson didn't pick your pockets, did he?" Nocturne asked, and Robin looked at the interaction with confusion, even while holding a poker face. "Grayson?" Gordon asked, also confused. "Grayson Whitlock, the guy that I paid to tell you where I was." Nocturne replied, and James remembered the teenager that had pointed him to this building.
"No, he didn't. Why are you asking?" James asked. "It's nothing serious. The guy's just been living on the streets for a while now. Said he ran away from his abusive father, then began picking pockets to get by. I just don't want him throwing himself into trouble he can't handle." Nocturne replied with concern.
"Well, be seeing ya." He said, then shot off the roof with his laptop in hand, very quickly vanishing from their lines of sight. "You think he might be overestimating himself?" Robin asked his mentor. "We'll see." Batman said, his eyes squinted, looking in the direction he saw Nocturne vanish.
"Well, I'll go ahead and clean up house over at the GCPD. Batman, please try to keep an eye on him for us." James said as he headed back down the stairs. "Of course, Jim. Stay safe." Batman said, bidding the Commissioner farewell.
After James left to head back to the GCPD Headquarters, Batman's impassive face bent into a frown. "It's gone." He said. "What is?" Robin asked. "The signal of the tracker I'd placed on him. It's gone." Batman said, his voice calm, but Robin could tell that he at least felt wary, if not alarmed.
The number of people on Earth who could detect Batman's actions when he actively tried to be stealthy were no more than 10, and the number of people that could effectively stop those actions, or thwart the expected result of those actions were even fewer. "So what do we do now?" Robin asked.
"We go and take down the Crime Families' bases. Anything regarding him can be dealt with later." Batman said, then fired his grapnel, heading to the closest second closest location that was marked on his cowl's HUD, with Robin following closely behind him.
Chapter End.
Word Count: 3,468
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