A Light in the City (II), 3/21 night - GCPD parking lot - Jim, Vic

[Vic]

The Question slipped the shadows that cloaked the GCPD parking lot, mask in place, trenchcoat and gloves armoring him against more than just the chill of the spring night. When he tilted his head just so, he'd found he could see part of the lighted dial of a clock tower against the skyline. Even when he looked away, he imagined he could hear the tick-tock-ticking and the whisper of the hands slowly sweeping around its face.

Vic had a problem, and it came in the form of a digital video cartridge that held the damning evidence of Mark Buehner's latest perverted extortion attempt. Swathed in a plain brown wrapper, it weighed more in his pocket than a compact construct of plastic and tape had any right to. He'd been carrying it around for over a week with it seeming to get heavier every day, until it now approached the metaphorical size and weight of a full-grown albatross.

He'd considered giving it to Harvey Dent or Rachel Dawes, but had been unable to get either of them alone long enough. Meanwhile, Marilyn and Melina Easley had their lives on hold, still in hiding from the corrupt parole board officer, and the Question had finally been forced to move to the third possibility on his list.

James Gordon.

Unlike the two lawyers, Vic trusted Gordon. But Gordon probably didn't trust anyone. He was cautious and armed, which made him difficult to approach without a substantial risk of being shot, arrested, or both. Still, it was a risk The Question would have to take. He'd prepared for it as best he could, leaving an escape gap cut in the lot's fence and keeping a couple of his smoke bombs close at hand.

Ghosting through the scattering of late shift vehicles, Vic made his way to what he knew to be a blue Camry, though it seemed black in this light. Quick work with a slim jim had the passenger door open in under half a minute. Tugging the package from his pocket, he reached in to place it on the seat, but then stopped. In the darkness, the package was almost invisible against the tan of the upholstery. Frowning thoughtfully for a moment, he leaned across to put it on the dashboard in front of the driver instead.

The door again safely shut, the masked man stepped back to study his work. The package was hard to see from outside, but from within it would be impossible to miss. Nodding to himself, The Question faded back a little further, settling in to watch and wait.

[Jim Gordon]

Things were beginning to settle down for Gotham. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Truth was a little more jaded than that...the truth was more a matter of perspective when it came to 'normal' for Gotham City.

Right now the city wasn't plunged into a power outage with mass chaos, and murderers running around the city killing innocent people. That was a good thing. Unfortunately the normal levels of corruption, which according to most of the polls topped the charts nationally, were still present in Gotham City.

Jim pursed his lips together as he headed for his car. It had been another long day. The usual suspects to which GCPD had become a kind of revolving door were all in today. Some of them were going to be locked up for a few days, others were already back out on the street.

Sometimes Jim wondered if there was really a point to all of this.

Unlocking his car with the press of a button, Jim slid into the seat. He put his briefcase on the seat next to him and the keys in the ignition. That's when he saw it. A small brown envelope. Immediately a sense of caution arrested him and the thoughts of a bomb flitted through his mind...but his instinct told him this probably wasn't a bomb. If someone wanted to blow him up, an inconspicuous bomb on the underside of the gas tank was more likely the route to go.

Jim reached out a tentative hand and took hold of the envelope. Pressing in on the sides he could feel a cassette inside...

Looking around the lot for any suspicious...anything, Jim tore the seal and poured the VHS tape into his hand. The initials M.B. were printed on the face of it.

[Vic]

He looks tired, was Vic's first thought, watching the weary figure trudge toward the car. Then, and older. The detective seemed to have aged half again the decade since the ex-con had seen him that last time in court. The eyes were the same, though, weary experience mixed with sadness. Police commissioner of Gotham City, Vic thought, is a job I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And Gordon was far from that, even if the man had put him in prison.

When Gordon cautiously picked up the envelope, Vic let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding until that moment. He'd been worried the older man would think it was a bomb and call out a bunch of guys in padded armor to water cannon it. But instead the commissioner simply looked around, then examined it carefully before opening it.

As the other man looked down at the video cassette, The Question emerged from the shadows. Staying well back from the car, as much for his own peace of mind as Gordon's, he kept his hands harmlessly open and visible as he spoke.

"His name's Mark Buehner," he said, affecting a slight Bogart accent. "The dames are Marilyn and Melina Easley. They're hidin' out at the Hillcrest Inn."

[Jim Gordon]

While he studied the tape, Jim only had a few seconds to wonder who it was that had sent him this and why. Out of his periphery he could see movement in the shadows of the lot. He glanced toward a figure who was cautiously approaching with his hands slightly up and purposely in plain view.

A masked figure.

"His name's Mark Buehner," the figure said. Jim could feel the weight of his gun inside his jacket, holstered and strapped against his body. He made absolutely no move for it. "The dames are Marilyn and Melina Easley. They're hidin' out at the Hillcrest Inn."

Sitting in his car made him feel extremely vulnerable. He opened the door and stood up while the stranger was still a good distance away, but made no move to intercept him or draw his own weapon. Glancing down at the tape in his hand, he shook it once and then looked up. "Buehner," Jim said, still trying to piece this all together.

Instinct told him that there was something big going on here, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd trusted a masked man for a good cause. He shook the cassette and looked at the man. "What might I find on here?"

This post has been edited by Jim Gordon on Aug 27 2009, 11:23 AM

[Vic]

"What might I find on here?"

Behind The Question's blank mask, Vic closed his eyes momentarily. Across the years, he remembered that voice from the interrogation room. He'd wanted to trust that voice, even as it read him his rights. As the hands he now watched warily had locked the cuffs around his wrists, he'd felt an almost irresistible urge to tell the truth, but he hadn't been able to take that last, crucial leap of faith.

Now, though, he could. Not about himself, it was too late for that. And what purpose would it serve? But he would trust Melina's life in those hands.

"Corruption," The Question answered, surprising even himself with the steadiness of his voice. "Extortion under color of authority. Assault. Attempted child molestation." Remembering that brought more anger than the way his ribs still twinged when he took too deep a breath. He took one of those breaths, summoning Bogie back. "Buehner's been takin' bribes to let skells out on parole. Family, friends, anybody who'd pay. Money mostly or 'takin' it out in trade' if a dame couldn't meet his price." He paused, rolling his shoulders in a vain attempt to ease the tension there. "Marilyn Easley's got a cold-water walk up in the Narrows an' a twelve-year-old daughter."

He stopped there, letting the police commissioner do the math.

[Jim Gordon]

Jim didn't need to see the face behind the mask to hear the disdain in his voice about who he was speaking about. He looked down at the tape that was in his hand and weighed the words along with the underlying emotion very carefully. This was something serious, every clue pointed that way.

As he listened to the gruff description Jim felt the hairs on his arms start to rise. He was beginning to doubt less that this was a genuine tip, and by the time the stranger finished his thought Jim knew precisely what he was getting at.

He thought of his own children. Barbara...his son...what length would he go to in order to protect them? The thought of anyone laying a hand on them was enough to virtually throw him over the edge. He clenched his jaw as he looked back up at the masked man.

"We'll look into it," he said simply. And then, "Any reason you want to stay anonymous?"

[Vic]

Gordon had never been a man slow on the uptake and The Question watched as realization came quickly into the commissioner's eyes, anger hard on its heels. He was a father, Vic recalled hearing. Without children himself, Vic's own loathing for Buehner was that any decent man would feel, but he suspected Gordon's was far more personal and visceral. Good.

"Any reason you want to stay anonymous?"

Vic's ribs twinged again, reminding him of something else he'd wanted to say and he didn't reply to the question at first. "Be careful with Buehner. He was on something, meth maybe. I'm pretty handy with my fists and he shrugged off everything I threw at him." For a moment, he debated whether to mention the involvement of the armed lady vigilante, then decided against it. He had a hunch she wasn't popular with the police, especially this one.

Then he answered with the stark truth. "And I hide my face because I don't have your guts, Commissioner."

[Jim Gordon]

There were a few things that Jim had been somewhat forced to overlook these days, and vigilantism was one of them. Still, he wasn't really sure how he felt about just anyone putting on a scary costume and running round the city fighting criminals. Batman managed it because he was an incredibly smart man beneath the suit, and his heart was in the right place.

The man before him was much more a mystery. He had come to Jim with this, and was putting it in the rightful hands of the police, sure...but he also was as much as admitting that he'd had a fight with the man.

Jim decided to overlook it, and took in the man's words carefully before giving a slight nod. "Well, you did the right thing," he said simply. "We'll look into this. Is there anything else I should know?"

[Vic]

"Well, you did the right thing,"

Vic stopped himself just short of saying 'thank you, sir,' throttling the instinct in its cradle before the words could escape. Not that he didn't appreciate it, it was just the 'sir' that stuck in his craw.

"We'll look into this. Is there anything else I should know?"

After a moment of consideration, The Question shook his head. "Just that the Easleys, they're scared. They'll talk to ya, but he's been tryin' to find them, and they're scared he will. Go softly with them.

"I find out anythin' more, I'll let ya know."