Guardians of Gotham City Main Thread

Commissioner Gordon looked through the hazy fog that defined most of Gotham tonight. The Bat-Signal, like a beacon, shown through the fog. Tonight, it was to serve two purposes and neither of them were to alert Batman. Much as Gordon hated it, Batman was gone for the time being. Without him, Gotham City seemed to fall into chaos. Which was why Gordon was up here in the first place. Tonight, the beginning of the Joker's fall would start.

He turned to Officer Merkel, a tall, black, and loyal officer who was also on the roof.

"You made sure everybody we talked about got the invitations, yes?" Gordon asked the younger officer.

Merkel grinned.

"Sure did chief. You told me to send out a request for help to every vigilante and mafioso who would take it and I did. Relax, boss. They should be here soon. It isn't even midnight, yet." Merkel said reassuringly and eagerly. Gordon nodded. He hoped the cops he had talked to this morning would also show. It was going to be a long night.

Kate Kane was getting into what she now regarded as her 'uniform'. She winced slightly as the bruises on her back - courtesy of a couple of gang bangers the night before - protested. They didn't restrict her movement, or cause much pain, but occasionally they reminded her they were there. Just part and parcel of the life she'd chosen for herself.

She glanced over at the clock on the wall as she pulled on her boots. Half an hour till midnight and the meeting with Commissioner Gordon. She'd recieved the request to meet from a cop she'd saved from an attack by the Joker's Army the night before. She wondered why he'd requested a meeting but considering that chaos that had fallen over Gotham when The Joker and his forces had begun their campaign, it wasn't hard to guess.

She reached out for her cowl and the red wig and looked up as her father came in. "You need to leave soon, if you want to be on time." He said quietly.

"I know," Kate replied. "I'm almost done. Is the bike ready?"

He nodded. "Refuelled and waiting." He paused. "Kate.."

"It's not going to be a trap, Colonel," She interrupted him. They'd been 'discussing' this very point since she'd told him about the message. "With the Joker's people everywhere, Gordon probably needs all the help he can get and I can do more than just react to the police band reports. If he's managed to contact anyone else, we can co-ordinate a hell of a lot better than doing it solo."

"I know," He said. "But still..."

Kate pulled on the cowl. "When I started this, I agreed to stay away from Batman and his entourage because you thought it would endanger security. But this is different; its too big for just me and whoever to work on it separately. If Batman was here, I'd probably be working with him. But he's who knows where, so I'm going to work with Gordon and whoever he's contacted. It'll be fine."

"All right." Jacob said. "I'll be listening in."

Batwoman nodded. "I'm sure." She replied, leaving the dressing room and making her way to the garage where the bike was waiting. "See you later, Dad."

edited 20th Dec '12 10:13:28 AM by JasonC

"Ah. Commissioner Gordon."

A tall shadow released itself from the fog, John "Kiloton" Lincoln taking its place. The heavyset mafioso pulled his thick, grayish, fur-coat over more of his black vest and under-shirt. He sucked a deep breath of the chilled air in an effort to acclimate himself to it. He always loved the cold, but it took a while.

"It's a pleasure to see you without a pair of cuffs in your hands, I must admit." His voice wrung out in a baritone-bass, but still retained a punctual, if slightly prodding tone. "One could only hope the contents of my car are being shown the same respect." A black, 1980 Lincoln Continental was parked in front of the building. Inside that car was a suitcase, pregnant with a payload that'd blow an armored car into scrap metal.

"But now isn't the time worries." he continued. "Business. Things that need done, and people that need to go. I'm good at that, Batman's better. But in the absence of said bat, business is good." He began stroking his black, well trimmed beard, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"So what do you need from me?"

edited 20th Dec '12 12:12:26 PM by goodisgood

Bill Becker landed on the rooftop near the batsignal. In his garb, the Gunisher looked much like any other lunatic pouncing around town in a batsuit. Without a word, he waited for the comissioner to respond to the other man's question. Something big was going down, and in his book, anything that made it easier to kill those assholes parading around in joker masks was a good thing.

Batwoman had done recon on the roof of Police Headquarters a while back, in case she might one day need to talk to the Commissioner. It wasn't surprising that it could be reached easily by line from several different directions, considering Batman did it all time.

She saw Gordon and another officer standing near the Signal, obviously waiting. As she watched, a black-clad figure swung in from behind and stood watching from the shadows. A taller man appeared by the stair access and approached Gordon. She set her own line and used it to cross the distance, landing silently. The hidden figure didn't seem to have noticed her.

"So what do you need from me?" The tall man said as she moved forward. He was familiar from somewhere and she made a mental note to go through the FBI and police files her father had managed to acquire.

Batwoman stepped out into the light. "I'd like to know that too."

The weather was normal- normal for Gotham, anyway- and the rats and lowlifes that populated the alleys moved on with their lifes as Felix made his way to the meeting place. The fog swirling around him, like the clues of a previous case, dancing in front of him, the answer dangling like a spider hanging from the ceiling. Fitting. Gotham wasn't the ceiling, it was the spider, trying to survive as madmans in clown costumes slowly burn the fine, fine web stopping it from falling to its doom. It wouldn't be long until the web burned down, at which point, the fall would be long... and painful.

"An unusual meeting place, Commissioner." Felix said, walking into the light, coat bellowing in the wind. He held onto his fedora and threw his cigarette away as he walked over to his boss, hands in his pocket. "Years ago, if someone told me that Commissioner Gordon would invite me to a meeting, I wouldn't believe it. But times change. The endless tick and tock, acting as the soundtrack of our lives..."

Felix glanced at the other people in the ceiling, his eyes stopping upon seeing Batwoman. A courageous gal. Of course, like most men, Felix couldn't look past the physical, wondering how a lady could take the mantle of the Batman. But Gotham had a way with people... the city loved to surprise others. "Well, madame..." Felix said, grinning and tipping his fedora towards Batwoman. "... I am quite surprised to see a lady at what one would consider a meeting of men..."

The Commissioner sighed in relief as four of the individuals he had called for appeared.

"That remains to be seen," Gordon said to Lincoln, in response to his question about the treatment of his car's cargo.

"Regardless, what I want from you is subjective. It depends entirely on what you are willing to give. The GCPD need information, Lincoln. What's the mafia's involvement in this? Where's Sal Maroni, we haven't heard anything from him after he disappeared three weeks ago? Most importantly, are you willing to help the police? If you are, then I have an assignment for you." Gordon told the large man, as two people dressed like bats appeared.

"I have an assignment for all of you," Gordon addressed the three. He grimaced. Out of the people he had urged to come to this meeting, Kane and Bill Becker were certainly not the top of that list. Kane was a loose cannon and Becker was one of those sociopathic Batman impersonators.

"Merkel will brief all of you. I need coffee. Merkel?" Gordon gestured to the black cop behind him.

"Sure thing boss." Merkel said. "Our men engaged the Penguin and some of his goons on 22nd street last night. We nailed most of his goons and injured Cobblepot in the shoulder. He had a getaway car though, and he escaped. We just received a letter from him telling us that he is holed up in Gotham City Zoo. He is holding the staff hostage and demands that we send over a doctor and $5000 dollars to the main gates." Merkel explained as Gordon headed off the roof in pursuit of a Frappuccino.

"The zoo staff's safety is, obviously, our primary concern, here but we just issued a statement two days ago saying that we would not negotiate with any criminals during these stressful times. Needless to say, it would look rather bad for us if, two days after we said this, we sent over a doctor and money. That's where you come in. We are assigning all of you the task of infiltrating the zoo and freeing the staff. Your secondary objective is to capture or kill the Penguin. This arrangement protects the GCPD's image if something goes to hell and allows us to devote more manpower towards locating the Joker. That being said, this arrangement is also illegal. We are letting you operate under the assumption that you will not reveal who sent you there, understood?"

edited 21st Dec '12 5:05:01 AM by FantasyLiver

"I'm no master detective, Commissioner.", John said, waving a hand onto his chest. "But I understand. I'll show some reserve as far as my equipment goes." He grabbed the collar of his own fur coat and gave it a rattle, a cacophony of clanks and clatters following after. At this rate, he was a grenade on legs, his own custom alterations to the coat being the only thing keeping him and everyone on the roof alive. This wouldn't be the first time he had to hide an otherwise vocal disappointment, but he was more than eager to work the whole marksmanship angle.

"To the matter of why I'm here," he continued, "It's merely on my own whim. Having been raised in the loving care of varying families, I'm more or less impartial as far who I'm working for goes. Sometimes it's for Maroni, sometimes Dimitrov, sometimes Sabatino, the list goes on. " His lips curved into a sharp frown under his beard. "The most important thing is, I've lost good friends, good family, to that little pale-faced prick the Joker. I, and half the mooks in Gotham, would do anything, ANYTHING, short of dying to put a knick on that smile." After a deep breath, his face returned to a somewhat forced grin.

"If getting a little closer to him, or the psychos that work for him, means I have to step on some feet ? I'm glad to tell you I have plenty of experience in that field, and not too many scars to show for it." His arms disappeared into his coat as he gave a small, polite bow.

"Kiloton Lincoln is at your service."

"So you want us to do your dirty work, huh? Offing some villain you cops can't touch?" said the Gunisher. "Count me in. Damned lunatics need to be put down. But what in the hell did he want five grand for? Asshole's tuxedo probably costs twice that. Sounds fishy to me. But it doesn't matter if it's a trap, though, just point me at him. But I've got to say, I'm not too fond of working with others, let alone bangers and cops. Though considering how many of you guys are on Maroni's payroll, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if you're both goons."

Batwoman frowned under the mask. She didn't like the idea of being the GCPD's deniable asset, thrown to the wolves if anything went wrong. And with Lincoln and whoever the other guy with the Bat-symbol on his chest was, that could very easily happen.

But. This could be an opportunity to get an 'in' with the GCPD. That might outweigh the risk. For now.

"Cobblepot isn't going to be much of a threat if he's wounded enough to be asking for a Doctor," She said aloud. "His men will be the problem. If you know, we'll need to know how many and where they and the hostages are." Recon should be easy enough if they don't. If these two even know the meaning of the word stealth..

edited 21st Dec '12 1:52:00 PM by JasonC

"This isn't the first time I've had to deal with a hostage situation." John said. "I would know, I've orchestrated some of my own. Nothing too huge, you won't hear on the news, but you get my point." His hands waved in the air, gesticulating his words. An involuntary gift from the Maroni family, if anything.

"If I were in the Penguin's situation, and I wouldn't be, I'd be the most vulnerable when my goons are off searching for something else." He gave his coat another rattle, reminding everyone of his arsenal. There was room for him in this operation. "Cobblepot might be a mean thing, but he isn't insane. He won't go an kill the only thing keeping him from hard-time over some loud noise. I'm obligated to be that loud noise." He turned over to Batwoman.

"I wouldn't mind keeping those guys busy while you look for the hostages. You, and maybe the gunman here, look like you're the only ones who could slip in to where you need to go without getting spotted." His collar popped up as he shrugged his shoulders. "That's your choice, of course. I could crack in there myself, maybe roast myself a little bird-person, but I couldn't say that'd be best for the hostages."

"Regardless of what you decide, you are unofficially authorized by us to use any means necessary. However, the Penguin is far more valuable to us alive than dead. Now all of you should get off the roof. It wouldn't look very good if you all were seen here." Gordon said, as he reappeared on the roof with some coffee.

"Oh, one more thing. Mr. Lincoln,could you get in touch with Sal Maroni and tell him I'd like to meet with him? Anyway, off you all go, now...you all have a bird to catch." Gordon finished.

When the band of misfits eventually made it off the roof, they would find themselves outside the police station. There was a small brick alleyway, with two metal trash cans and some broken bottles and pieces of paper. Though there were no people about, the alleyway was covered in shadows enough so that the men and woman Gordon hired would be able to hold a conversation there without anyone seeing them or overhearing.

OOC. I know I did a timeskip there but I wanted to get things moving before Winter Break rolled around and messed with everyone's schedules. Anyway, if you guys were going to ask Gordon or Merkel some questions, post them in the discussion thread and I'll answer them for you.

Batwoman looked at her two new associates. "I have a contact who might be able to get hold of the zoo plans." She said. "Should have them by the time we get there. That way you.." She looked over at Lincoln. "..Can bring your kidnapping experience to bear so we can figure out where Cobblepot and his boys are holed up."

"Lets meet by the west entrance."

Well. This sucked. Bruce had given him a call, take care of Gothman while he was away, keep the crooks and crazies away from the people, you know, the usual. And then this happened. He honestly did not know what to say to Bruce when he got back.

Nightwing had been fighting all night, and he was bone tired. Not that he could stop. He sighed as he made his way through Gotham's rooftops. He hoped Tim was alright. They had been together earlier, but the younger hero had something "he needed to do", whatever that meant.

He almost fell off the roof he landed in, as he slipped slightly. Sloppy, Bruce would say. Cursing his fatigue, Nightwing adjusted his balance and continued on. Finally, he caught sight of his destination. GCPD headquarters.

Of course he knew about the meeting. Commissioner Gordon was desperate. And he knew about the situation at the zoo. Hard not to, when your ex-girlfriend was both the biggest info source in the city and the daughter of the guy giving the job.

...And of course he was well aware that he was late. Hey, he had to stop a few crazies from mugging an old lady.

As he aproached, Nightwing caught sight of the people in the alley. So. These were the ones who answered Gordon's call? Yeeeeeeeeeeeesh.

Nightwing touched down in the shadows of the alleyway, making sure he was unseen by the others.

He wasn't as good as The Bat, but....

"Sup, guys?"

"Done deal, Batwoman.", Lincoln replied, "I'll make sure I don't dis-aaaaaannnndanotherbat-" He flinched away from the spot that Nightwing appeared from, hand over his chest. How many Bat-Copies were running around now? Each one gave him a little less lee-way as far and indulging himself went, and that was never good.

Quickly regaining his composure, he addressed the new-coming Bat-Person. "A future associate, I presume?", he said. "We were wrapping up this meeting, but our plan is simple. We all meet up at the west entrance of Gotham Zoo. Cobblepot's somewhere inside, with a few hostages. I'm going to distract a few of them by doing what I do best, while the bat-kateers sneak in, mangle the stragglers, and recover the hostages. For reasons I cannot fathom, the law wants Penguin alive, but dead is acceptable." He raised his palms, shoulder high. "That's the gist of it." Pleased at his own summary of the situation he began, he head towards his Continental.

"I hope you like explosions."

Batwoman whirled around as Nightwing stepped out of the shadows. Her hand suddenly held a Batarang ready to throw but when she saw who it was, she straightened, putting the Batarang away.

Nightwing. This should be interesting. If the stories were true, he'd trained with the Batman and fought alongside him. If he was here and not in Bludhaven, it could mean one of two things. Either Batman had asked him to keep an eye on Gotham or he'd decided on his own.

"I have a source that can get a layout of the Zoo," She said to him. "But I'm assuming you know the place pretty well also. Will you join us?"

"Perfect, another one of you batsuited lunatics," said the Gunisher as Nightwing showed up. "Well, I hope none of you have a problem with getting your hands dirty, because when I'm done with things, the Penguin and his goons are heading for the morgue, not for that ridiculous country club you call a prison."

Nightwing looked at the collection of people in front of him. Hoooooo-boy. He didn't like what he saw. Well, at least Batwoman was known to somewhat play by the rules, but those others....

He grinned at the redheaded woman. "Of course I'll come. Can't let the newbies go out unsupervised. You're Batwoman, right? I haven't seen you in the last Bat-Family reunion. You sure you have a permit to go around in that suit?"

Then he turned to the other two, completely serious.

"Okay. Listen up. We people in batsuits? We have a rule. No killing. It's what separates us from them. If you ever break that rule, even while we're working together, I will not hesitate to go after you, alright?"

"And then what, you'll kill me?" Gunisher said to Nightwing with a laugh.

He looked at him seriously.

"No. I will bring you to justice. It's not in my hands. I'm not an executioner."

"Ah, that's great then," said the Gunisher. "I can finally off a few of those guys hiding away in their cells, and tag along on the next breakout."

"....Then I'll catch you again. And again. Until it sticks."

An explosive 'HAH! range out from near the black Lincoln. The car, that is, though the source was the other black Lincoln. "You Bat-Boys and Bat-Girls keep trying that", he said. "Maybe when your sense of justice overcomes your comfort zone, this city'll start getting better for a change!" He slid into his vehicle, and after a few moments, rolled up towards the group, hugging the curb tightly.

"Not everyone can do back-flips over automatic gun-fire, son." he continued. "I bet your law-man Gordon took that into account when he called me and Mr.Walking Armory over there. If I do recall, he said he'd accept Cobblepot in a body bag, if need be. So whine to him, while someone who can really clean things up does just that."

Without another word, he began cruising towards Gotham Zoo.

After Lincoln drove by, Gunisher simply said to Nightwing, "You're also assuming you can catch me," as he jumped up onto a rooftop to head towards the zoo.

Batwoman sighed as Lincoln and Gunisher left. "Batman knew about me," She said to Nightwing. "He hasn't tried to stop me, so I'm assuming he approved. He hadn't offered me a place in the 'Bat-Family' before he left." Not that I would have accepted if he had. She thought to herself.

"I'm glad you're here," She continued. "It might give me a chance of reining in those two. And Gordon didn't help by saying he didn't care who ended up dead, including Cobblepot, as long as the hostages are saved. I think he's desperate."