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tampered2008-09-08 05:43 pm
our-way-works.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2008-09-08 05:43 pm
Log; Complete
When; 9/08/08, mid-afternoon
Rating; PG for H-E-Double Hockey sticks.
Characters; Jim Gordon (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
our_way_works)
Summary; Jim's arrival in the city and subsequent search for answers
Log;
Sweat was running down the face of the former Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department. Jim Gordon ran around the corner, his old service revolver held firmly in his hands. He was positive he had seen that bandaged freak run around the corner of this abandoned warehouse and into the alleyway beyond it. That was one of his least favorite parts of Gotham City: all of the completely superfluous abandoned warehouses. He had been firmly behind all of the Mayor's attempts at revitalizing the poorer sections of the city, but there was never enough money in a metropolis of this size.
"I'm too damn old for this," Jim thought to himself. In spite of this, his breathing was steady, and his grip was firm for a man pushing sixty. He was still at the peak of physical health for a man ten years younger. But pursuing a suspect at least twenty years younger than himself, on foot, for twelve city blocks...he was really wishing that the backup he called for would get here. It's not that he minded the new Police Commissioner, but things seemed to run more smoothly back when he was in charge.
But backup wasn't here, and he couldn't afford to waste any time waiting for them. Hush couldn't get away from him, not after the attempts made by him to destroy his good friends life, and perhaps even his sanity. He saw Hush fly down this alleyway and into the building across from it. When he got to the door, he brushed the handle with his gloved hand to make sure it was not heated, and quickly tried to locate any traps or gimmicks attached to the door. Every super-criminal in this city had their own little thing, and it cost nothing to be cautious and everything to be careless. But he knew next to nothing about Hush. The door seemed to be fine, though locked, so he took a deep breath and kicked the door open with one powerful kick, wood shattering from the hinges as it came loose, crashing down to the floor.
He stepped through the portal, eyes quickly scanning all of the corners, looking first straight ahead, then left, then right, and then up. That was a mistake made by most rookies; they always forgot to look up. It may not be standard procedure in most cities, but Gotham City was not most cities; you had to be prepared for everything.
Jim did not see a thing, but the building was as dark as pitch. He pulled a flashlight out of his jacket pocket and flicked it on. The beam cut across the darkness, though it only touched the opposite wall and the floor, never being interrupted by anything else. This building seemed to be completely abandoned. It was one story, tall, but with secondary railing or stairs. He remained rooted in the same spot, moving his torso, his gun trained exactly in line with the beam of light. There was nothing to see; the building was completely empty, with only one exit on the other side. He tread across the floor carefully. He didn't like this, not one bit. It just felt...wrong, and after being a police officer for as many decades as he had been, you learned to trust your instincts. This building seemed as if it would be a horrible place for an ambush, an he saw no place for a man to hide, so he determined that this must have simply been an attempt by Hush to shake him from his trail. Jim moved swiftly yet cautiously towards the opposite door, still intent on catching his prey. He again checked it quickly for traps and found nothing, though this door was unlocked. He turned the handle slowly before quickly throwing the door open, stepping through while again checking his surroundings. In front of him was yet another building and a street running in both directions. There was no sign of the man he pursued.
Jim cursed silently under his breath. He had no idea at all where Hush could have gone, but standing here was not going to get him any close to that psychopath. He chose to go left, and ran quickly down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the criminal once he left the alleyway. As he ran, he pocketed his flashlight and once again gripped the handle of his revolver with both hands. Once he got to the street, however, he saw something which momentarily derailed his train of thought. He saw a city that was not Gotham.
It seemed to be a city of equal size to his own, but it was very clearly not Gotham City. He was confused, wondering what exactly could have happened. Thus far, Hush hadn't resorted to any neuro-chemicals or toxins, or any competency with chemicals at all. He did seem to be able to rally the rest of the Rogues behind him, however, so this could easily be some sort of ploy by one of them. But who? He had no idea, but going forward seemed to be a bad idea. He backtracked the way he came, but he could not find the doorway that he exited from. He scanned the alleyway and did not recognize anything, despite having come from this direction not two minutes ago. He seemed to be well and truly displaced.
Jim pulled out his cell phone and hit #2, the speed dial setting for the GCPD, to see where the hell his backup was. After a few seconds with no response, he checked his screen and saw that he had no bars. He snapped it shut angrily and put his back to the wall. He couldn't go backwards, and going forwards would more than likely end in a trap. But standing here would accomplish nothing. Frustrated, he pounded the wall once with the back of his hand. There was no other option; he was going to have to move forward, either until he could find a way to contact the GCPD or figure out what the hell had happened to him. He holstered his revolver in his shoulder holster, leaving it unsnapped for faster access, and strode back out onto the road. He was going to get answers, one way or the other.
A thought suddenly entered his head. Maybe this was just a ploy from Hush to further antagonize Batman. He was, after all, a part of the Dark Knight's life, and everything that Hush did seemed to be to torment Batman. Maybe this was a trap of a completely different nature, in which he was the bait rather than the target. But if Hush thought that he was going to use him against the Batman, than there was a hole in his plan. He was Jim Gordon. He had survived Harvey Dent, Edward Nigma, and the Joker. If Hush thought that he would be easy pickings because of his age or his lack of a cape and cowl, than Hush was walking into the same trap made by more insidious criminals than himself.
He didn't recognize anything in this new city, and had no real idea of where to go. As he walked slowly from the alley, he overheard a ticking sound, though he was unable to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. Perhaps this was a machination of the Clock King? There was a name he had not heard in a while and one that he had never feared. He was probably just being paranoid now, but the situation seemed to warrant it. One building stood out amongst the rest of its fellows. It was both the tallest and seemed to be shaped like an elephant at the base, so it naturally drew his attention. It seemed like as good a place as any to go for some answers, and so he began the long walk toward it, keeping both eyes open to take in his new, more than likely hallucinogenic surroundings.
Rating; PG for H-E-Double Hockey sticks.
Characters; Jim Gordon (
our_way_works)Summary; Jim's arrival in the city and subsequent search for answers
Log;
Sweat was running down the face of the former Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department. Jim Gordon ran around the corner, his old service revolver held firmly in his hands. He was positive he had seen that bandaged freak run around the corner of this abandoned warehouse and into the alleyway beyond it. That was one of his least favorite parts of Gotham City: all of the completely superfluous abandoned warehouses. He had been firmly behind all of the Mayor's attempts at revitalizing the poorer sections of the city, but there was never enough money in a metropolis of this size.
"I'm too damn old for this," Jim thought to himself. In spite of this, his breathing was steady, and his grip was firm for a man pushing sixty. He was still at the peak of physical health for a man ten years younger. But pursuing a suspect at least twenty years younger than himself, on foot, for twelve city blocks...he was really wishing that the backup he called for would get here. It's not that he minded the new Police Commissioner, but things seemed to run more smoothly back when he was in charge.
But backup wasn't here, and he couldn't afford to waste any time waiting for them. Hush couldn't get away from him, not after the attempts made by him to destroy his good friends life, and perhaps even his sanity. He saw Hush fly down this alleyway and into the building across from it. When he got to the door, he brushed the handle with his gloved hand to make sure it was not heated, and quickly tried to locate any traps or gimmicks attached to the door. Every super-criminal in this city had their own little thing, and it cost nothing to be cautious and everything to be careless. But he knew next to nothing about Hush. The door seemed to be fine, though locked, so he took a deep breath and kicked the door open with one powerful kick, wood shattering from the hinges as it came loose, crashing down to the floor.
He stepped through the portal, eyes quickly scanning all of the corners, looking first straight ahead, then left, then right, and then up. That was a mistake made by most rookies; they always forgot to look up. It may not be standard procedure in most cities, but Gotham City was not most cities; you had to be prepared for everything.
Jim did not see a thing, but the building was as dark as pitch. He pulled a flashlight out of his jacket pocket and flicked it on. The beam cut across the darkness, though it only touched the opposite wall and the floor, never being interrupted by anything else. This building seemed to be completely abandoned. It was one story, tall, but with secondary railing or stairs. He remained rooted in the same spot, moving his torso, his gun trained exactly in line with the beam of light. There was nothing to see; the building was completely empty, with only one exit on the other side. He tread across the floor carefully. He didn't like this, not one bit. It just felt...wrong, and after being a police officer for as many decades as he had been, you learned to trust your instincts. This building seemed as if it would be a horrible place for an ambush, an he saw no place for a man to hide, so he determined that this must have simply been an attempt by Hush to shake him from his trail. Jim moved swiftly yet cautiously towards the opposite door, still intent on catching his prey. He again checked it quickly for traps and found nothing, though this door was unlocked. He turned the handle slowly before quickly throwing the door open, stepping through while again checking his surroundings. In front of him was yet another building and a street running in both directions. There was no sign of the man he pursued.
Jim cursed silently under his breath. He had no idea at all where Hush could have gone, but standing here was not going to get him any close to that psychopath. He chose to go left, and ran quickly down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the criminal once he left the alleyway. As he ran, he pocketed his flashlight and once again gripped the handle of his revolver with both hands. Once he got to the street, however, he saw something which momentarily derailed his train of thought. He saw a city that was not Gotham.
It seemed to be a city of equal size to his own, but it was very clearly not Gotham City. He was confused, wondering what exactly could have happened. Thus far, Hush hadn't resorted to any neuro-chemicals or toxins, or any competency with chemicals at all. He did seem to be able to rally the rest of the Rogues behind him, however, so this could easily be some sort of ploy by one of them. But who? He had no idea, but going forward seemed to be a bad idea. He backtracked the way he came, but he could not find the doorway that he exited from. He scanned the alleyway and did not recognize anything, despite having come from this direction not two minutes ago. He seemed to be well and truly displaced.
Jim pulled out his cell phone and hit #2, the speed dial setting for the GCPD, to see where the hell his backup was. After a few seconds with no response, he checked his screen and saw that he had no bars. He snapped it shut angrily and put his back to the wall. He couldn't go backwards, and going forwards would more than likely end in a trap. But standing here would accomplish nothing. Frustrated, he pounded the wall once with the back of his hand. There was no other option; he was going to have to move forward, either until he could find a way to contact the GCPD or figure out what the hell had happened to him. He holstered his revolver in his shoulder holster, leaving it unsnapped for faster access, and strode back out onto the road. He was going to get answers, one way or the other.
A thought suddenly entered his head. Maybe this was just a ploy from Hush to further antagonize Batman. He was, after all, a part of the Dark Knight's life, and everything that Hush did seemed to be to torment Batman. Maybe this was a trap of a completely different nature, in which he was the bait rather than the target. But if Hush thought that he was going to use him against the Batman, than there was a hole in his plan. He was Jim Gordon. He had survived Harvey Dent, Edward Nigma, and the Joker. If Hush thought that he would be easy pickings because of his age or his lack of a cape and cowl, than Hush was walking into the same trap made by more insidious criminals than himself.
He didn't recognize anything in this new city, and had no real idea of where to go. As he walked slowly from the alley, he overheard a ticking sound, though he was unable to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. Perhaps this was a machination of the Clock King? There was a name he had not heard in a while and one that he had never feared. He was probably just being paranoid now, but the situation seemed to warrant it. One building stood out amongst the rest of its fellows. It was both the tallest and seemed to be shaped like an elephant at the base, so it naturally drew his attention. It seemed like as good a place as any to go for some answers, and so he began the long walk toward it, keeping both eyes open to take in his new, more than likely hallucinogenic surroundings.
no subject
She never expected to see Jim Gordon in the City. She'd never expected to see him again, actually.
Steph nearly drops her groceries, but catches them at the last second. The poor man is probably confused...
Better try to help a fellow Gothamite...?]
...Commissioner Gordon?
no subject
Jim had no idea what it meant to see her here. As far as he knew, she was dead, killed by the Black Mask. Did this mean that he was dead too? Did he fail to detect some trap when he stepped through that door, and this was his purgatory? Or, more likely, was this was another ploy by Hush? The more he thought about it, standing there silently in front of the girl, the more it seemed to fit Hush's modus operandi. That whole business with making it seem like Jason Todd had risen from the grave...and now, standing in front of him was yet another Robin who had died in the line of duty.
He wasn't sure what he should do, but he knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand here with a stunned look on his face forever. If this was a trap, he'd at least be walking into it fully aware of what it was. Also, whoever it was in front of him was the only clue he had to what exactly was going on here. He'd have to take the chance.
"Sorry, Stephanie, I'm just surprised to see you," he said slowly, gauging her for her reaction. "I was under the impression that you were dead, and yet here you are, in a city that is clearly not Gotham. You'll have to forgive me for being a little...perplexed."
"Oh, and it's just Jim now," he said, tipped off on something by her greeting. The identification of him as Commissioner could be an important clue, or just a slip-up. He was, after all, still Commissioner when she had died. "I finally retired a few months ago."
no subject
[Surprised, but glad, anyway, given her smile. However, the smile fades when he mentions her death...she sighs, putting down her grocery bag. This could take a while...]
I owe Doctor Thompkins for saving my life...I've been travelling wit her for the past few years...I take it I've missed a lot...?
Oh, congratulations!! Alfred's here too, I bet he'll be glad to see you!
Um...Welcome to the City, Mister Gordon. A world...between worlds. I know, it sounds weird, but...
no subject
Alfred was here? But he had just seen Alfred not too long ago. And Leslie? Was she here to? It seemed like a large number of the important players in Batman's life were here, adding to his impression that this all had something to do with the plots of Hush.
"And if you don't, could you take me to see Alfred," he added after a brief pause. "And Leslie, if she's here. I need to get some answers, and I think the only way to do that is to sit down with everyone and compare notes."
Because now, he was not only unsure of where he was, but also when. He had long wondered where Leslie had gone off to; he hadn't heard from her in years, which corresponded with what Stephanie had said. If he could at least see Stephanie and Alfred together, that would help to rule out the possiblity of a Clay Face trick. And Alfred should be more up to date on current events, to some extent anyway, if he was the real Alfred. It seemed like a prudent thing to do to get either answers, or clues.
His eyebrow twitched slightly, almost unnoticably, at her congratulations. So many people said that when he said he had retired, and it irked him subconciously. It was something that he was never even sure he had wanted to do, and something that he sometimes regretted.
no subject
Batman's in trouble...? What's going on, is he ok?
...
I'm sorry, Mister Gordon...but we're all sort of stuck here.
I was heading back to Gotham when I arrived...
[And she sighs, sadly. Steph wishes there WAS a way to get out...]
Yeah, Alfred'd love to see you!! I've been staying with him.
And...Leslie isn't here...We were on our way back to Gotham together, when I got dumped here, and I haven't seen her in months...
[Suddely, she realizes. This is Gordon. Gordon...from Gotham...where Tim is....]
Com...I mean, Mister Gordon...
...How is Tim doing...?
no subject
"So Leslie's not here. That's reassuring, in some ways. Though I am still eager to see Alfred." He extended his arm to her. "Perhaps we should walk while we talk; I have questions that need answers, and time is something I don't have much of anymore," he said with a sigh.
"Tim's doing...well, alright, I suppose," he said with some reflection. "His life is as complicated as ever, but he's been able to sort out some of his problems over the past few years." He didn't want to stress out the poor girl, if it really was Stephanie Brown, by adding that some of those problems were the result of her 'death.' "He's also been working on getting the Teen Titans back together, from what I hear. All and all, he's been keeping himself busy."
no subject
And...the City's deities just bring people here, so whoever your villain is, they couldn't have brought you here..."
[Steph nods with a small smile, picking up the bag of groceries that she had put down, walking with Gordon.]
You can come with me back to my apartment...I was doing the shopping for Alfred, so he should be back there...
Oh, thank God he's ok...we didn't part on the best of terms, but I still worry about him.
I miss him, but, hey, what can I do?
no subject
He pondered over the meaning of the cities deities. So they were the ones directly responsible for his being here. He'd have to arrange a meeting with them as soon as possible, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as all that.
"Do the deities let people out, too? Do they entertain meetings, or are they off limits?" He had heard of alternate dimensions and things like that, after all the years he spent working with superheroes and consulting with other cities supernatural protectors. He just never thought that he would be sucked into one, a normal man like himself. He still suspected that this was all part of Hush's plan, but he couldn't afford to discount other possibilities that could lead to his getting home.
"He's a resourceful boy, Stephanie. And a lucky one too, if he still has you thinking about him." He gave her a smile, the rare fatherly smile that he reserved for these young vigilantes. All of the Robins, and the Spoiler included. They went through so much at such a young age. He had an inkling of how hard it was, as the father of Batgirl, and a part of him was always worried for them. Hell, he even worried about Batman.
no subject
...but he's also Batman. He'll handle anything that hits him. I have faith in him!!
[She nods, but then shrugs. Do the deities allow meetings...?]
They let people leave, but I don't know if they handle meetings or things like that...
They're a bit tricky....Kara tried to beat them up when she got here, and they...took away her powers for a while. You really shouldn't mess around with them...
[When Gordon smiles, Steph grins, something swelling in her chest. Was it pride? Was she just happy that Tim was all right...? Or was it a combination of both...]
I know he's pretty resourceful. Batman only keeps the best with him. Still, one can't help but wonder...
no subject
He paused for a long moment, reflecting. "I know what that's like. I still wake up screaming sometimes after what the Joker did to me, after what he came close to doing to me." He shook his head. "That's why it's important for Batman to have his friends by his side during this. That why, for once, it very well may be me saving him." He seemed surprised at what he said, as if the thought had never occured to him. But he quickly snapped out of it.
"If they're the key to getting out of here, I'll just have to figure something out, some way to reach them. Messing with them is the last option on the list. After all, you don't poke the viper when you're standing in the pit; that's something you learn after being Police Commissioner in a city like Gotham."
"And that's all you have to remember. Batman only keeps the best with him, and he himself is the best. That makes for a pretty good safety net in my estimation."
no subject
How...How well is his other identity masking this attack?
[She can't help but worry. No matter how she feels about working with Batman, she knows Gotham needs him.]
We all have nightmares like that, Commissioner. It comes with the job, I suppose...
Yeah. Kara had to learn the hard way...I don't know much about them, though. I wish I could be of more help to you...
[She nods, repressing a sigh and a grimace. She was a constant reminder of Batman's mistakes...and she hated it.]
...Commissioner?
Does...does anybody miss me, back home?