Batman: Bridging the Gap
Part 1 of 5
Rated R/M
Gotham City
Three Months after the Watercrest Hotel
“Lieutenant, we’ve got a situation.”
Steven Santieri looked up from his desk. He flexed, taking note of the lessened pain from where he’d been shot by Melanie Horne. The wound had healed nicely and he was ready to go. Doctors said that he would still probably experience some issues, but what did doctors know? They didn’t know his body the way that the Gotham City Police Officer did. It was night time and it was almost closing time for him, but there was always that last case that caused a problem when you just wanted to get home and open a nice bottle of whiskey or something. Rising from his chair, he reached out and grabbed his leather jacket. Throwing it on, he stepped out of his office. “What’s going on?” He asked.
“Guy’s got a gun at St. Catherine’s. Waving it around like a lunatic and he’s talking about taking hostages.” One of Santieri’s officers said, referring to one of the hospitals that made up the medical side of things in Gotham City.
“Alright, let’s head over there.” Steven said, checking his .45. “Hopefully this isn’t anything too crazy.” He added as they left the police building. He was waiting for paperwork that would transfer him out of here. After everything that had happened with the Watercrest and the trial, he was on the fast track. They were talking about putting together a task force to go after more of the mafia and the other organized crime organizations. The Gotham City Police Department were on a roll, and it was all thanks to one man. Him. Or at least, that’s how the Mayor, Albert Jones, had made it out to sound like. Steven didn’t enjoy being flattered, and he didn’t like politicians. The combination of the two had made him sick, especially since that day he had found out what had happened to Eva.
She had declined going into the Witness Protection Program. That had been the biggest shock to everyone, but not to Steven. He had known that that was what she would probably end up doing. He knew her reasons and it had saddened him. On the one hand, he understood that she wasn’t doing it all for him, but he knew that a chunk of it was because of him. They hadn’t had a chance to speak since everything that had happened. He’d been in surgery for the bullet wound and she had been testifying again in a new trial when he’d been recovering. He hadn’t even seen her since everything had happened and he wanted to, badly.
He loved her. He wanted her to go into Witness Protection because he knew that she would never be truly safe. After all, he couldn’t protect her forever. It had been a source of constant argument between police officer and star witness. She had refused to give in on this. But the final straw, it seemed, had been at the end of everything that had happened. After he’d just been shot by Melanie Horne, who had basically exposed herself as the traitor within the FBI/GCPD working partnership that had been established for the duration of the trial against the Vitale family, Eva had, after shooting and killing Horne in self defense, told him that she loved him. She'd never trust Horne and in hindsight he couldn't blame her for that, not anymore. Despite fading in and out of consciousness, he’d heard her tell him that she loved him and he’d remembered it.
That had been an amazing feeling. To know that she really did love him, it meant so much to Steven. But it had only made him feel even more dedicated to convincing her to join Witness Protection in order to make sure that she was safe. So he’d done something, when they were getting him into the ambulance. He come back and they were starting triage but he’d managed to talk. When she’d tried to tell him again and when she had been waiting for his reply, he’d killed her hopes and dreams. He’d hurt Eva in order to help her. Steven could have taken the coward’s way out, to feign unconsciousness, get the medical help and then not talk to her again, but he loved her too much. And Steven Santieri was no coward. So he’d told her that despite her saying that she loved him, they couldn’t be together and that she needed to leave.
He’d sworn to himself, the minute that he’d fallen in love with her that he would never hurt her. Steven couldn’t, she was too beautiful, too precious to him. But he had hurt her in that moment. The hope in her eyes had been evident. This woman, this gentle but strong woman who had been raped and abused for years, who had been mistreated emotionally and physically, she had put her trust in him. And he’d killed that trust. He had seen the hope, and then he had seen the pain. And he’d hated himself. Steven had hated himself for what he’d needed to do. But it was the right thing. One day, he’d thought, she would appreciate what he’d done and would thank him, even if she never said it to his face.
She hadn’t come to his hospital room, and he hadn’t been able to blame her for that. His mother had been there and she’d helped him, staying by his bedside with her rosary beads in hand. But Eva hadn’t been there with her smile, her laugh, her ability to make him feel better inside just by her presence. He missed her. As he slid into the passenger seat of the unmarked police car, Steven knew that he missed her. She had a presence about her. A calming presence, despite her sarcasm and ability to be sharp tongued. He’d loved that about her. The fact that she always knew what he needed and was willing to help him. The fact that her food was the greatest cooked food he’d ever had in his life though he would never tell his mother that.
Just the fact that they understood each other. The fact that they were able to support each other.
But this, the Mafia, and the people that would be gunning for her, they were something else. Steven knew what they could do and so had she. She’d worked for them, against her will really, because of the fact that she’d been engaged to the son fo the Don. He’d kept her in a state of fear for years, repeatedly beating her and raping her and emotionally abusing her. She knew what they were capable of and she still wanted to stay in Gotham City. It didn’t make any sense to Steven and he’d tried to talk to her. He sighed and leaned back into the seat of the car. He needed to marshal his thoughts and push out of his mind the woman that he’d fallen in love with, was still in love with, and would have married in a heartbeat if he’d had the chance.
He needed to get work done.
Batman: Bridging the Gap (Limited Series)
Moderators: VagueDurin, Nichalus, WoH Coordinators
KING OF STRONG STYLE
Posts: 18896
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
KING OF STRONG STYLE
Posts: 18896
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
Re: Batman: Bridging the Gap (Limited Series)
Batman: Bridging the Gap
Part 2 of 5
The police car pulled up to the hospital and Steven saw that it was already surrounded by other Gotham City Police Department cars. He couldn’t help but think about how much money Wayne Enterprises had made when they’d bid on the GCPD car and won with the Wayne Motors Stallion design. Granted, he couldn’t be upset at the money that Isaiah Muir was making, because he’d turned around and said that ten percent of the annual net proceeds would be directly donated back to the Gotham City Police Department Widow’s and Children’s Foundation. That had been a great move and Steven respected the man for that.
“What’s the situation?” He asked as he stepped out of the car.
Even if he hadn’t been the most senior officer onsite, any GCPD officer would have given him control. He was Steven Santieri, the hero of Watercrest, the man who represented the GCPD when it came to the biggest bust and subsequent conviction of organized crime in the history of Gotham City. It was hard to top that.
“Steven, good to see you.” Joel Irskens, a good friend of his, said. “We’ve got a man in there, we’ve identified him as Connor Wesley. Factory worker, nothing too crazy. Only thing we’ve really got on him are a few parking tickets and speeding tickets. Right side of the fence guy if you know what I mean. His dad is in the hospital. Needs a kidney transplant. Can’t find a donor. They don’t have the money for dialysis. Not on a regular basis. Health care can’t help them out. Some kind of red tape bullshit. Apparently, he’s in there with some fucking heavy shit, telling the doctors that they better find his dad a kidney and that he doesn’t care if he goes to jail as long as his dad is okay.”
“Health care in this country is a joke. I'm not a fan of the whole government health care idea either, but something needs to be done about all of this.” Steven said, shaking his head. It was a shame sometimes the way that things were. They started walking to the small trailer that was being used as a command area.
“Tell it to Obama. Above my pay grade.” Irskens said with a shrug. “Either way, we need to do something about this, before someone gets really hurt.”
“You’re telling me.” Steven said. “Have SWAT on standby. Has he made any demands?” He asked.
“Nothing yet, outside of the kidney for his father. He’s actually been rather informative. Everything I told you about him, we know because he told us. I don’t think he’s gone that far off the deep end, but you never know with these guys. Still, here’s hoping that he can be reasoned with.” Irskens said and Steven nodded. The two of them were standing now in the trailer and they were about to speak more when the telephone went off. Standard practice was to route the lines of the building where the hostages had been taken into the command area. So if the phone went off, then it was from the hospital. Steven answered it.
“Hello, this is Lieutenant Steven Santieri, whom am I speaking to?”
“Connor Wesley.” The man on the other end said. “Now you understand me, Lieutenant Santieri, I want my father to live. He’s all I got.” There was a tremble in the man’s voice. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I just...Look, I’ll kill someone if I need to, you got that Lieutenant?” He asked.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“Nobody understands this. The other guy I spoke to didn’t get it. I don’t think you do. My father means everything to me. He’s my family, and I love him. I would do anything for him. Anything, understand that, Lieutenant Santieri. Do you have someone like that, Lieutenant?” The man asked.
Unbidden, Eva’s face came Steven’s mind. He did understand where Wesley was coming from. While he didn’t agree with the tactics that the man was using to get the job done, he understood the position that the man was in. He was doing the best that he could, what he thought he could to fix the problem. Steven had done something like that, not too long ago when it came to Eva. He definitely could understand where Connor Wesley was coming from.
“Yes, Connor, as a matter of fact, I do.” He said.
“Good. Then you know that I’m not fucking around with this. I’m not bullshitting. You know what I’m capable of.” The tone of the sentence sounded final, and Steven got the feeling that he as about to be hung up on. He had to keep the man on the line because he wanted to make sure that the man understood his priorities in this situation. There was only so much that Steven could do, particularly if he had a deadline that he needed to meet. Funny word, deadline. It had a good bit of importance in this situation, all things considered.
“Listen,” He said quickly. “You have an interesting problem, Connor. We can only find a kidney so fast. You need to give us time.”
“You have time. They have my father hooked up to the dialysis machines now. But he can't be on that forever and we both know these people can't be in here forever. Work fast, Lieutenant, I want results.” Then the line went dead.
Steven rubbed a hand over his face. The guy was crazy, but it was an effective crazy. He knew exactly what he wanted and he knew how to get it. He was doing just that. This was someone that was hard to reason with, because they had the whole get things done by a certain point in time, but they weren't unhinged at the same time and prone to making mistakes. Steven almost wanted to think that the man was a professional, but that obviously wasn't the situation. “What’s the word on a kidney?” He asked.
“Gotham General is going over what they have and what could work. The problem is that it’s going to be expensive. Furthermore, there’s going to be a bunch of angry people waiting for transplants.” Irskens said.
“Yeah, the last thing we need is for people to think that if they get hostages it’ll work out for their family members.” Steven said. “Joel, keep me updated, I’m stepping outside.”
Joel nodded and watched as Steven walked out of the command area. This had the potential to turn into a big clusterfuck if nobody did something. The problem was all the red tape that was involved in doing all of this. The medical industry was a finicky thing to work with and the legality of all of this was another can of worms that none of the police officers who had to make the important decisions really wanted to think about. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to cave in to the man’s demands, otherwise this was going to get really complicated, really fast.
Part 2 of 5
The police car pulled up to the hospital and Steven saw that it was already surrounded by other Gotham City Police Department cars. He couldn’t help but think about how much money Wayne Enterprises had made when they’d bid on the GCPD car and won with the Wayne Motors Stallion design. Granted, he couldn’t be upset at the money that Isaiah Muir was making, because he’d turned around and said that ten percent of the annual net proceeds would be directly donated back to the Gotham City Police Department Widow’s and Children’s Foundation. That had been a great move and Steven respected the man for that.
“What’s the situation?” He asked as he stepped out of the car.
Even if he hadn’t been the most senior officer onsite, any GCPD officer would have given him control. He was Steven Santieri, the hero of Watercrest, the man who represented the GCPD when it came to the biggest bust and subsequent conviction of organized crime in the history of Gotham City. It was hard to top that.
“Steven, good to see you.” Joel Irskens, a good friend of his, said. “We’ve got a man in there, we’ve identified him as Connor Wesley. Factory worker, nothing too crazy. Only thing we’ve really got on him are a few parking tickets and speeding tickets. Right side of the fence guy if you know what I mean. His dad is in the hospital. Needs a kidney transplant. Can’t find a donor. They don’t have the money for dialysis. Not on a regular basis. Health care can’t help them out. Some kind of red tape bullshit. Apparently, he’s in there with some fucking heavy shit, telling the doctors that they better find his dad a kidney and that he doesn’t care if he goes to jail as long as his dad is okay.”
“Health care in this country is a joke. I'm not a fan of the whole government health care idea either, but something needs to be done about all of this.” Steven said, shaking his head. It was a shame sometimes the way that things were. They started walking to the small trailer that was being used as a command area.
“Tell it to Obama. Above my pay grade.” Irskens said with a shrug. “Either way, we need to do something about this, before someone gets really hurt.”
“You’re telling me.” Steven said. “Have SWAT on standby. Has he made any demands?” He asked.
“Nothing yet, outside of the kidney for his father. He’s actually been rather informative. Everything I told you about him, we know because he told us. I don’t think he’s gone that far off the deep end, but you never know with these guys. Still, here’s hoping that he can be reasoned with.” Irskens said and Steven nodded. The two of them were standing now in the trailer and they were about to speak more when the telephone went off. Standard practice was to route the lines of the building where the hostages had been taken into the command area. So if the phone went off, then it was from the hospital. Steven answered it.
“Hello, this is Lieutenant Steven Santieri, whom am I speaking to?”
“Connor Wesley.” The man on the other end said. “Now you understand me, Lieutenant Santieri, I want my father to live. He’s all I got.” There was a tremble in the man’s voice. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I just...Look, I’ll kill someone if I need to, you got that Lieutenant?” He asked.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“Nobody understands this. The other guy I spoke to didn’t get it. I don’t think you do. My father means everything to me. He’s my family, and I love him. I would do anything for him. Anything, understand that, Lieutenant Santieri. Do you have someone like that, Lieutenant?” The man asked.
Unbidden, Eva’s face came Steven’s mind. He did understand where Wesley was coming from. While he didn’t agree with the tactics that the man was using to get the job done, he understood the position that the man was in. He was doing the best that he could, what he thought he could to fix the problem. Steven had done something like that, not too long ago when it came to Eva. He definitely could understand where Connor Wesley was coming from.
“Yes, Connor, as a matter of fact, I do.” He said.
“Good. Then you know that I’m not fucking around with this. I’m not bullshitting. You know what I’m capable of.” The tone of the sentence sounded final, and Steven got the feeling that he as about to be hung up on. He had to keep the man on the line because he wanted to make sure that the man understood his priorities in this situation. There was only so much that Steven could do, particularly if he had a deadline that he needed to meet. Funny word, deadline. It had a good bit of importance in this situation, all things considered.
“Listen,” He said quickly. “You have an interesting problem, Connor. We can only find a kidney so fast. You need to give us time.”
“You have time. They have my father hooked up to the dialysis machines now. But he can't be on that forever and we both know these people can't be in here forever. Work fast, Lieutenant, I want results.” Then the line went dead.
Steven rubbed a hand over his face. The guy was crazy, but it was an effective crazy. He knew exactly what he wanted and he knew how to get it. He was doing just that. This was someone that was hard to reason with, because they had the whole get things done by a certain point in time, but they weren't unhinged at the same time and prone to making mistakes. Steven almost wanted to think that the man was a professional, but that obviously wasn't the situation. “What’s the word on a kidney?” He asked.
“Gotham General is going over what they have and what could work. The problem is that it’s going to be expensive. Furthermore, there’s going to be a bunch of angry people waiting for transplants.” Irskens said.
“Yeah, the last thing we need is for people to think that if they get hostages it’ll work out for their family members.” Steven said. “Joel, keep me updated, I’m stepping outside.”
Joel nodded and watched as Steven walked out of the command area. This had the potential to turn into a big clusterfuck if nobody did something. The problem was all the red tape that was involved in doing all of this. The medical industry was a finicky thing to work with and the legality of all of this was another can of worms that none of the police officers who had to make the important decisions really wanted to think about. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to cave in to the man’s demands, otherwise this was going to get really complicated, really fast.
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Re: Batman: Bridging the Gap (Limited Series)
Batman: Bridging the Gap
Part 3 of 5
He was by himself, and he was standing away from the command area. Looking down, Steven cursed his weakness. A pack of cigarettes were in his hand. He had taken up smoking again and thankfully he didn’t live with his mother. She wasn’t able to find out that her son, who had quit some years ago, had taken up this habit once more. Pulling one of them out of the pack, he lit it and inhaled. The nicotine hit his system as the tars polluted his lungs just a little bit more. Blowing out the smoke, Steven thought to himself about this whole problem and what he could do to make it better. Realistically though, his hands were tied. He wasn’t about to just rush into the building, that wouldn’t be smart. At the same time, he couldn’t coerce or rush Gotham General in their work. They had to follow procedures that they had.
“You know, cigarettes are a leading cause of lung cancer.” A voice said and he turned, looking into the shadows.
To Steven’s credit, his eyes didn’t go wide, nor did he reach for his gun. “I wondered if you would show up.” He said. “You know, we’ve been getting rumors and reports now for close to a year that you’re back.”
“Back? I never left.” The voice said.
“Really? Care to tell that to the crime levels in this damn town for the past twenty years? Always on the rise, ever since he died. Trust me, I know you’re not him.” Steven said as a man dressed like a bat stepped out of the shadows, but only slightly. “What do you want?”
“You’re not going to be able to get him a kidney fast enough.”
Steven paused.
“How long were you listening in on the conversation with Wesley?” He asked.
“Long enough, Lieutenant.” Batman said.
“Any particular reason why I shouldn’t arrest you? Those criminals that you’ve beaten up, technically you committed assault and battery on a lot of them.” Steven said, taking a drag from his cigarette after he spoke.
“Technically. But we both know that you’re not going to stop me because I’m getting results. Besides, we both know that I am getting results.” Batman replied, with a thin lipped smile. “Also, I’ve read your file. You’re ex-Army. Officer. Trained in combatives. You really think that you can take me though?”
“Probably not. Gun wouldn’t be much help here either in these close quarters. What are you doing here? Why are you talking to me?” He asked.
“I’m going to go in there and I’m going to take Wesley down. Your SWAT team could do it, but that’s opening the door for the possibility of casualties. I’m more...thorough. No slight intended to the Gotham City SWAT and their shiny Wayne Enterprises toys.” Batman said. “But I wanted you to know that I’m going in there.”
“Me? Why me?” Steven asked as he smoked yet again. His eyes took in the man standing in front of him, his eyes having fully adjusted to the darkness that Batman was standing in. The man didn’t necessarily stand at a formidable height, he was the same six foot one as Steven was, but he definitely carried himself in a far more foreboding way that Steven did. His eyes looked at the belt that the man had on, the various pouches that were there. He didn’t even want to think about everything that was inside of them.
“Like I said, I read your file. You’re one of the few honest cops in Gotham. You’ve never been hounded by Internal Affairs, and you’ve never even been looked at wrongly. Even your friend Irskens has something on his record.” Batman said. “I’m not asking you to trust me right off the bat, I’m sure you have some reservations about me. I’m here, telling you that I’m going in, because I trust you. I understand my position in all of this, Lieutenant, that’s all I’m saying.”
Steven was floored by this. “You want me to trust you but you’re saying that you’re going to earn that trust?” He asked.
“Exactly.” Batman said.
“Should I feel honored? The Batman wants my trust.”
Batman’s eyes narrowed. “Not particularly. You might just end up with a target on your back because of it.” He said. “Nice night out. Should be at home with your girlfriend. But you’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?” He asked.
Steven looked away, up at the night sky. He took another smoke from his almost dead cigarette and then the rest of what Batman had said hit him. “Hey, what the hell is that supposed to...” He said, looking back.
But Batman was gone.
Part 3 of 5
He was by himself, and he was standing away from the command area. Looking down, Steven cursed his weakness. A pack of cigarettes were in his hand. He had taken up smoking again and thankfully he didn’t live with his mother. She wasn’t able to find out that her son, who had quit some years ago, had taken up this habit once more. Pulling one of them out of the pack, he lit it and inhaled. The nicotine hit his system as the tars polluted his lungs just a little bit more. Blowing out the smoke, Steven thought to himself about this whole problem and what he could do to make it better. Realistically though, his hands were tied. He wasn’t about to just rush into the building, that wouldn’t be smart. At the same time, he couldn’t coerce or rush Gotham General in their work. They had to follow procedures that they had.
“You know, cigarettes are a leading cause of lung cancer.” A voice said and he turned, looking into the shadows.
To Steven’s credit, his eyes didn’t go wide, nor did he reach for his gun. “I wondered if you would show up.” He said. “You know, we’ve been getting rumors and reports now for close to a year that you’re back.”
“Back? I never left.” The voice said.
“Really? Care to tell that to the crime levels in this damn town for the past twenty years? Always on the rise, ever since he died. Trust me, I know you’re not him.” Steven said as a man dressed like a bat stepped out of the shadows, but only slightly. “What do you want?”
“You’re not going to be able to get him a kidney fast enough.”
Steven paused.
“How long were you listening in on the conversation with Wesley?” He asked.
“Long enough, Lieutenant.” Batman said.
“Any particular reason why I shouldn’t arrest you? Those criminals that you’ve beaten up, technically you committed assault and battery on a lot of them.” Steven said, taking a drag from his cigarette after he spoke.
“Technically. But we both know that you’re not going to stop me because I’m getting results. Besides, we both know that I am getting results.” Batman replied, with a thin lipped smile. “Also, I’ve read your file. You’re ex-Army. Officer. Trained in combatives. You really think that you can take me though?”
“Probably not. Gun wouldn’t be much help here either in these close quarters. What are you doing here? Why are you talking to me?” He asked.
“I’m going to go in there and I’m going to take Wesley down. Your SWAT team could do it, but that’s opening the door for the possibility of casualties. I’m more...thorough. No slight intended to the Gotham City SWAT and their shiny Wayne Enterprises toys.” Batman said. “But I wanted you to know that I’m going in there.”
“Me? Why me?” Steven asked as he smoked yet again. His eyes took in the man standing in front of him, his eyes having fully adjusted to the darkness that Batman was standing in. The man didn’t necessarily stand at a formidable height, he was the same six foot one as Steven was, but he definitely carried himself in a far more foreboding way that Steven did. His eyes looked at the belt that the man had on, the various pouches that were there. He didn’t even want to think about everything that was inside of them.
“Like I said, I read your file. You’re one of the few honest cops in Gotham. You’ve never been hounded by Internal Affairs, and you’ve never even been looked at wrongly. Even your friend Irskens has something on his record.” Batman said. “I’m not asking you to trust me right off the bat, I’m sure you have some reservations about me. I’m here, telling you that I’m going in, because I trust you. I understand my position in all of this, Lieutenant, that’s all I’m saying.”
Steven was floored by this. “You want me to trust you but you’re saying that you’re going to earn that trust?” He asked.
“Exactly.” Batman said.
“Should I feel honored? The Batman wants my trust.”
Batman’s eyes narrowed. “Not particularly. You might just end up with a target on your back because of it.” He said. “Nice night out. Should be at home with your girlfriend. But you’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?” He asked.
Steven looked away, up at the night sky. He took another smoke from his almost dead cigarette and then the rest of what Batman had said hit him. “Hey, what the hell is that supposed to...” He said, looking back.
But Batman was gone.
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Re: Batman: Bridging the Gap (Limited Series)
Batman: Bridging the Gap
Part 4 of 5
Getting past the few floodlights that had been set up had been rather simple, really and now Batman was standing on the roof of the hospital. He’d narrowed down where Connor was. It had been easy to get the information, considering the fact that the hospital was neatly organized and Connor would have kept the hostages that he’d taken close by and he himself would be close to where his father’s room was. Hacking into the hospital’s computer network had granted Batman the father’s room number. So he was headed to the third floor of the six story building. Kicking down a roof top access door, he headed into the building.
He would need to avoid the regular ways of getting around. It wouldn’t do to use the elevator system, that just wouldn’t make sense. He had to assume that Connor seriously knew what he was doing, even if he didn’t. There could be no mistakes made. This was the first time that Santieri knew that he was there. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes. This was going to be the first test to see whether or not the two of them could work together and Batman was not going to mess this up for anything. Cautious and proper, everything he did was going to be on point. Anything less would be sloppy and Batman was not sloppy.
On the way over to the hospital, he’d refreshed his memory of the floor plans and now he went straight for the service elevator. But before that, he went to one of the computers on the floor and plugged in a small USB drive. An advanced hacking program went to work, breaking through any all protective services that would stop him from being able to get the information that he wanted. Once it had done it’s job, Batman put the USB drive away and got to work. A quick perusal told him that the service elevator was on the fourth floor. That would not do. He sent it down to the second floor and then got to work, prying the doors open to the service elevator up on the sixth floor.
When the doors were open, Batman looked down through the empty shaft. A story in this building was roughly fifteen feet in height, except for the fifth story which was twenty feet. That meant that he had to drop fifty feet before he would hit the top of the service elevator that was on the second floor.
Batman jumped.
Landing on the top of the elevator, his cape touched a second or so after his feet did. Hefting himself up, he was balanced on the little bit of building that jutted out. If anyone pressed the button for the service elevator this would have been bad, except that Batman had disabled it before he’d left that computer terminal. He got to work again, straining against the metal of the elevator doors until they opened. Moving into the hallway, he looked around. He was thirty or so rooms away from three hundred and nineteen, where Connor Wesley’s father was. Running down the hallway, he stopped when he reached an intersection and checked. Nothing. Moving again, he stopped once he reached another intersection and checked. Batman’s eyes narrowed as he saw what he was looking for. Down the hallway, people were huddled against the floor. They were staring at the ground rather blankly. They were congregated in one particular area, but they were on both sides of the hallway. A quick look at the the closest door to him told Batman that the odds were on the other side of the hallway.
He dashed and then he was on the other side of the hallway and in the room, which was empty. A few moments later, he had opened the air conditioning duct and was moving down. His mind calculated the length of the room and then from that number, Batman got the distance that he would need to travel in order to get where he needed to do. It didn’t take long, using the low crawl method. Looking down, he saw that this room too was empty. He had a feeling that Wesley had had the other patients moved as quickly as possible to other areas of the hospital. Dropping down, he entered the room. He moved into the hallway and brought a finger up to his lips, to silence the hostages.
There was twenty of them. They were bound, but they weren’t gagged. Fear was in their eyes and they all looked to him with hope, willing him to help them. Batman was about to take another step forward when someone who hadn’t been paying attention looked up and saw him and let out an audible gasp. He didn’t have time to think, as Connor was in the hallway, a shotgun in his hand. His eyes widened. “No!” He yelled and lifted the shotgun up. Before he could pull the trigger though, Batman was on him, tackling him. The shotgun dropped to the ground and skidded, but it didn’t go off. Connor threw Batman off of him and started to run towards his father’s room.
Idiot was probably trying to get another weapon. Batman had ended up between Connor and the shotgun. Dashing into the room after him, Batman tackled the man to the ground again. The doctor and nurse who were in the room screamed and moved backwards. Batman pinned Connor this time. “You’re done, give it up, Wesley.” He said, his tone even and leaving no room for argument. But Wesley tried.
“I can’t! He’s dying.”
“There are other solutions than endangering the lives of others.” He said and when Connor attempted to make a move for it again, Batman punched him, the weights covering his knuckles making the hit more than enough to knock the other man out. Rocking back onto his heels, Batman was standing straight up all in one fluid motion. His eyes turned to the sleeping form of Wesley’s father. William Wesley didn’t deserve this, that much was for sure. He had been a good man, a family man, and he’d worked hard to provide for his son and his daughter Emma. It was a shame for it to have to end this way.
He walked over to the phone that was connected to the wall and waited.
“This is Lieutenant Santieri, is this Wesley?” He heard the voice on the other end and knew that Santieri was anxious about the whole thing.
“No. It’s me. He’s down, come and get him, he’ll be bound.”
Part 4 of 5
Getting past the few floodlights that had been set up had been rather simple, really and now Batman was standing on the roof of the hospital. He’d narrowed down where Connor was. It had been easy to get the information, considering the fact that the hospital was neatly organized and Connor would have kept the hostages that he’d taken close by and he himself would be close to where his father’s room was. Hacking into the hospital’s computer network had granted Batman the father’s room number. So he was headed to the third floor of the six story building. Kicking down a roof top access door, he headed into the building.
He would need to avoid the regular ways of getting around. It wouldn’t do to use the elevator system, that just wouldn’t make sense. He had to assume that Connor seriously knew what he was doing, even if he didn’t. There could be no mistakes made. This was the first time that Santieri knew that he was there. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes. This was going to be the first test to see whether or not the two of them could work together and Batman was not going to mess this up for anything. Cautious and proper, everything he did was going to be on point. Anything less would be sloppy and Batman was not sloppy.
On the way over to the hospital, he’d refreshed his memory of the floor plans and now he went straight for the service elevator. But before that, he went to one of the computers on the floor and plugged in a small USB drive. An advanced hacking program went to work, breaking through any all protective services that would stop him from being able to get the information that he wanted. Once it had done it’s job, Batman put the USB drive away and got to work. A quick perusal told him that the service elevator was on the fourth floor. That would not do. He sent it down to the second floor and then got to work, prying the doors open to the service elevator up on the sixth floor.
When the doors were open, Batman looked down through the empty shaft. A story in this building was roughly fifteen feet in height, except for the fifth story which was twenty feet. That meant that he had to drop fifty feet before he would hit the top of the service elevator that was on the second floor.
Batman jumped.
Landing on the top of the elevator, his cape touched a second or so after his feet did. Hefting himself up, he was balanced on the little bit of building that jutted out. If anyone pressed the button for the service elevator this would have been bad, except that Batman had disabled it before he’d left that computer terminal. He got to work again, straining against the metal of the elevator doors until they opened. Moving into the hallway, he looked around. He was thirty or so rooms away from three hundred and nineteen, where Connor Wesley’s father was. Running down the hallway, he stopped when he reached an intersection and checked. Nothing. Moving again, he stopped once he reached another intersection and checked. Batman’s eyes narrowed as he saw what he was looking for. Down the hallway, people were huddled against the floor. They were staring at the ground rather blankly. They were congregated in one particular area, but they were on both sides of the hallway. A quick look at the the closest door to him told Batman that the odds were on the other side of the hallway.
He dashed and then he was on the other side of the hallway and in the room, which was empty. A few moments later, he had opened the air conditioning duct and was moving down. His mind calculated the length of the room and then from that number, Batman got the distance that he would need to travel in order to get where he needed to do. It didn’t take long, using the low crawl method. Looking down, he saw that this room too was empty. He had a feeling that Wesley had had the other patients moved as quickly as possible to other areas of the hospital. Dropping down, he entered the room. He moved into the hallway and brought a finger up to his lips, to silence the hostages.
There was twenty of them. They were bound, but they weren’t gagged. Fear was in their eyes and they all looked to him with hope, willing him to help them. Batman was about to take another step forward when someone who hadn’t been paying attention looked up and saw him and let out an audible gasp. He didn’t have time to think, as Connor was in the hallway, a shotgun in his hand. His eyes widened. “No!” He yelled and lifted the shotgun up. Before he could pull the trigger though, Batman was on him, tackling him. The shotgun dropped to the ground and skidded, but it didn’t go off. Connor threw Batman off of him and started to run towards his father’s room.
Idiot was probably trying to get another weapon. Batman had ended up between Connor and the shotgun. Dashing into the room after him, Batman tackled the man to the ground again. The doctor and nurse who were in the room screamed and moved backwards. Batman pinned Connor this time. “You’re done, give it up, Wesley.” He said, his tone even and leaving no room for argument. But Wesley tried.
“I can’t! He’s dying.”
“There are other solutions than endangering the lives of others.” He said and when Connor attempted to make a move for it again, Batman punched him, the weights covering his knuckles making the hit more than enough to knock the other man out. Rocking back onto his heels, Batman was standing straight up all in one fluid motion. His eyes turned to the sleeping form of Wesley’s father. William Wesley didn’t deserve this, that much was for sure. He had been a good man, a family man, and he’d worked hard to provide for his son and his daughter Emma. It was a shame for it to have to end this way.
He walked over to the phone that was connected to the wall and waited.
“This is Lieutenant Santieri, is this Wesley?” He heard the voice on the other end and knew that Santieri was anxious about the whole thing.
“No. It’s me. He’s down, come and get him, he’ll be bound.”
KING OF STRONG STYLE
Posts: 18896
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:43 pm
Re: Batman: Bridging the Gap (Limited Series)
Batman: Bridging the Gap
Part 5 of 5
A hell of a day.
Steven walked up the stairs towards his apartment. The elevator was broken again, so he’d taken the four flights. He just wanted to be done and crawl into bed. They’d arrested Wesley and freed the hostages. No one had been harmed, not a single person. Connor had been honest in saying that he didn’t want to harm anyone and they were going to definitely take that into consideration when it came time for his day in court. Steven’s report had detailed that Connor had not attempted to truly hurt or harm anyone of the hospital’s workers. But that didn’t mean that Steven’s problems were over. There was a new Batman and it had been confirmed now. Multiple witnesses. He had to see how Roberts was going to react to this. He doubted that the commissioner was going to tell him that he needed to go after the Batman. But he knew that they were going to have to be cautious, going to have to be on their toes, especially him.
Granted though, they did need to be wary of the man. They didn’t know anything about him and they didn’t know if he followed the same rules that his predecessor did. So far he did, but that didn’t mean anything. Trust and public image was a fickle thing. You do one thing wrong and it’s gone forever. You could rebuild it, yes, but it would never be as strong as it had been before. That was something that everyone knew. It was one of the hardest lessons of life, but the easiest to learn. If this Batman ever broke the public’s trust, they would remember that it had been Lieutenant Steven Santieri who had given him his approval and who had been the first police officer to vouch for him. If it was a mob set up of some sort, they had done it perfectly.
His key entered the slot and he turned the lock. Walking into his apartment, Steven’s eyes narrowed. The lights were off. All of them. He’d turned them off when he’d left, he always had. But he also always left one or two of them on. Now all of them were off. His mind already starting to spin from the various conspiracies starting to form in his head, Steven knew that something was up. Reaching for his sidearm and flicking the main light switch, his motions were halted when he heard a voice.
“Relax, Lieutenant.” He recognized that voice.
“Batman.” He said and then the other man stepped into view. “How did you get in here? Never mind, I don’t want to know. That would be admitting to breaking and entering.” He said.
“That’s the spirit, Lieutenant.” Batman said. “You did good today.”
“I did nothing. I let you do everything.” Steven said, walking to his bar. He poured himself a generous helping of whiskey and put in a few ice cubes. Turning he took a drink. “I put the welfare of this city into someone I don’t know, someone I don’t yet trust. I don’t know who you are under that cowl. You could be anyone, even a hired guy from what’s left of the Vitale Family to get at me.”
“I understand your qualms about the situation you’re in. You’re a police officer though. And you trust your gut. Your gut tells you I’m here to help and I’m someone you can work with. After all, you did let me help. That was a wise choice. Other days may be different.” Batman said. “You and I, we can do good for this city, if you’re willing to work with me.”
“You talked about trust earlier. You can’t just have my trust because you stopped one hostage situation while I watched. Even if you’ve stopped a string of robberies and other crimes.” Steven said.
“I understand that. I never said that you would trust me, I said that you would be willing to work with me. And you are, aren’t you?” Batman asked, his face, what little Steven could see of it, a mask.
“I suppose I don’t really have a choice. You’re just better at this than I am.”
“Not better, just better equipped.” Batman said. “You’re a very good detective, Steven, you just don’t have the resources that I do.” He added. He had a folder in his hands and he put it down on Steven’s coffee table. Then he reached into his pouch and produced a small business card. “Like this. I got in touch with people at the Martha Wayne Foundation. They’re going to look to see if they can fast track William Wesley’s kidney transplant to make sure that he gets it in a timely manner. Pro bono, of course, it’s a charitable foundation, after all.” He said. “I’m sure that’ll put Connor’s mind at ease. He’s not a bad person.”
“Just misunderstood.” Steven replied.
“Aren’t we all, Lieutenant?” Batman said and turned to go. He was about to walk down one of the hallways and probably exit a window when Steven’s next words stopped him. Batman turned and waited, watching as Steven moved.
“Wait, what’s this?” Steven asked, reaching down and grabbing the folder. He opened it and read it quickly. “What the fuck is the meaning of this?” He asked.
“I listened in on your phone call with him, remember? It doesn’t take much to understand people, not for someone like me. I know what happened in the Watercrest. I know what you did to protect her.” Batman said.
“Is this some kind of threat?” He asked. “Work with me or she gets hurt? Some kind of trust.” Steven replied and then watched as Batman shook his head.
“That’s not how I operate. I’m directly responsible for what happened to her and you’ll see what I mean when you read the rest of the file. Something that happened about a year ago. That, in your hands, that’s a gift. You would spend some time looking for her otherwise. You’d find her, and it wouldn’t take you that long, not someone of your caliber. This just speeds up the process. It’s Eva Rodriguez’s new address and the past two weeks of her activities. Now you know when the best time to talk to her is.” Batman said.
Emotions ran through him. Anger and sadness being the two biggest. “What makes you think I want to talk to her?” He asked.
“We both know you do. You love her and you should talk to her. No one should be alone, especially not someone like you.” Batman said.
“So you’re the only one who deserves to be alone? Needs to be aloof? Maintain privacy? What the hell do you really know about my situation? Have you ever had to push someone away that just wanted to love you and help you and support you? Maybe when you have, then you’ll understand what I went through.” Steven said, angrily.
“Lieutenant, I know more than you think.” Batman said, thinking about Cassie. “Much more than you think.” And then he walked away.
Steven heard the scrape of one of the windows closing a few moments later. Tossing back his drink, he poured another sunk into his sofa, looking at the papers in his hand.
Part 5 of 5
A hell of a day.
Steven walked up the stairs towards his apartment. The elevator was broken again, so he’d taken the four flights. He just wanted to be done and crawl into bed. They’d arrested Wesley and freed the hostages. No one had been harmed, not a single person. Connor had been honest in saying that he didn’t want to harm anyone and they were going to definitely take that into consideration when it came time for his day in court. Steven’s report had detailed that Connor had not attempted to truly hurt or harm anyone of the hospital’s workers. But that didn’t mean that Steven’s problems were over. There was a new Batman and it had been confirmed now. Multiple witnesses. He had to see how Roberts was going to react to this. He doubted that the commissioner was going to tell him that he needed to go after the Batman. But he knew that they were going to have to be cautious, going to have to be on their toes, especially him.
Granted though, they did need to be wary of the man. They didn’t know anything about him and they didn’t know if he followed the same rules that his predecessor did. So far he did, but that didn’t mean anything. Trust and public image was a fickle thing. You do one thing wrong and it’s gone forever. You could rebuild it, yes, but it would never be as strong as it had been before. That was something that everyone knew. It was one of the hardest lessons of life, but the easiest to learn. If this Batman ever broke the public’s trust, they would remember that it had been Lieutenant Steven Santieri who had given him his approval and who had been the first police officer to vouch for him. If it was a mob set up of some sort, they had done it perfectly.
His key entered the slot and he turned the lock. Walking into his apartment, Steven’s eyes narrowed. The lights were off. All of them. He’d turned them off when he’d left, he always had. But he also always left one or two of them on. Now all of them were off. His mind already starting to spin from the various conspiracies starting to form in his head, Steven knew that something was up. Reaching for his sidearm and flicking the main light switch, his motions were halted when he heard a voice.
“Relax, Lieutenant.” He recognized that voice.
“Batman.” He said and then the other man stepped into view. “How did you get in here? Never mind, I don’t want to know. That would be admitting to breaking and entering.” He said.
“That’s the spirit, Lieutenant.” Batman said. “You did good today.”
“I did nothing. I let you do everything.” Steven said, walking to his bar. He poured himself a generous helping of whiskey and put in a few ice cubes. Turning he took a drink. “I put the welfare of this city into someone I don’t know, someone I don’t yet trust. I don’t know who you are under that cowl. You could be anyone, even a hired guy from what’s left of the Vitale Family to get at me.”
“I understand your qualms about the situation you’re in. You’re a police officer though. And you trust your gut. Your gut tells you I’m here to help and I’m someone you can work with. After all, you did let me help. That was a wise choice. Other days may be different.” Batman said. “You and I, we can do good for this city, if you’re willing to work with me.”
“You talked about trust earlier. You can’t just have my trust because you stopped one hostage situation while I watched. Even if you’ve stopped a string of robberies and other crimes.” Steven said.
“I understand that. I never said that you would trust me, I said that you would be willing to work with me. And you are, aren’t you?” Batman asked, his face, what little Steven could see of it, a mask.
“I suppose I don’t really have a choice. You’re just better at this than I am.”
“Not better, just better equipped.” Batman said. “You’re a very good detective, Steven, you just don’t have the resources that I do.” He added. He had a folder in his hands and he put it down on Steven’s coffee table. Then he reached into his pouch and produced a small business card. “Like this. I got in touch with people at the Martha Wayne Foundation. They’re going to look to see if they can fast track William Wesley’s kidney transplant to make sure that he gets it in a timely manner. Pro bono, of course, it’s a charitable foundation, after all.” He said. “I’m sure that’ll put Connor’s mind at ease. He’s not a bad person.”
“Just misunderstood.” Steven replied.
“Aren’t we all, Lieutenant?” Batman said and turned to go. He was about to walk down one of the hallways and probably exit a window when Steven’s next words stopped him. Batman turned and waited, watching as Steven moved.
“Wait, what’s this?” Steven asked, reaching down and grabbing the folder. He opened it and read it quickly. “What the fuck is the meaning of this?” He asked.
“I listened in on your phone call with him, remember? It doesn’t take much to understand people, not for someone like me. I know what happened in the Watercrest. I know what you did to protect her.” Batman said.
“Is this some kind of threat?” He asked. “Work with me or she gets hurt? Some kind of trust.” Steven replied and then watched as Batman shook his head.
“That’s not how I operate. I’m directly responsible for what happened to her and you’ll see what I mean when you read the rest of the file. Something that happened about a year ago. That, in your hands, that’s a gift. You would spend some time looking for her otherwise. You’d find her, and it wouldn’t take you that long, not someone of your caliber. This just speeds up the process. It’s Eva Rodriguez’s new address and the past two weeks of her activities. Now you know when the best time to talk to her is.” Batman said.
Emotions ran through him. Anger and sadness being the two biggest. “What makes you think I want to talk to her?” He asked.
“We both know you do. You love her and you should talk to her. No one should be alone, especially not someone like you.” Batman said.
“So you’re the only one who deserves to be alone? Needs to be aloof? Maintain privacy? What the hell do you really know about my situation? Have you ever had to push someone away that just wanted to love you and help you and support you? Maybe when you have, then you’ll understand what I went through.” Steven said, angrily.
“Lieutenant, I know more than you think.” Batman said, thinking about Cassie. “Much more than you think.” And then he walked away.
Steven heard the scrape of one of the windows closing a few moments later. Tossing back his drink, he poured another sunk into his sofa, looking at the papers in his hand.
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