"Agent Natasha Romanoff of the CIA Special Investigation Unit." Inside the office of the Gotham Police Department, Natasha presented her credentials to James Gordon. Gordon furrowed his brow deeply and said, "CIA? Isn't this out of your jurisdiction? Or are you telling me this 'Eden Killer' is actually a spy?"
"Even if he is a spy, the CIA doesn't have the authority to arrest him. That's the FBI's job. But I am from the Special Investigation Unit, the only team with domestic enforcement rights. You probably haven't heard of us, but that's okay, we're supposed to be a secret unit. If it weren't for Batman's invitation, I wouldn't be here."
Seeing the sudden understanding on Gordon's face, Natasha smirked inwardly. It was indeed a secret unit, established just half an hour ago. Although Batman in this universe isn't the president, he clearly has people within Congress and the law enforcement agencies, making it not difficult for him to fabricate an enforcement unit out of thin air and prepare ample documentation.
"Tell me about the 'Eden Killer'," Natasha said, "I want to see all the crime scene photos and the bodies. It would be best if you could arrange for me to interview a few of the key eyewitnesses."
Gordon nodded and quickly went to make arrangements. He accepted Natasha's dictatorial demeanor well because the FBI agents who came before her were even worse, completely looking down on the Gotham Police Department and Gotham itself, either fudging their work or eager to skedaddle at the earliest opportunity.
Although Natasha's name was a bit suspicious, and she was a bit too beautiful, at least from her attitude and handling, she seemed professional. That was already an unexpected pleasure.
"Oh, by the way," Gordon said as if he just remembered, "because this case is quite tricky, I consulted a friend. He will completely keep this confidential, but he might indeed have noticed something."
Frowning, Natasha said, "That's not very professional, Chief. You know you have a responsibility for the civilians' mental well-being, right? A serial murder crime scene is hardly going to be peaceful, is it?"
"He's not exactly a civilian. In fact, he's a former special consultant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation—a criminal psychology lecturer."
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Thank you for not involving an innocent person. I knew Batman's friends wouldn't be bad."
Gordon opened his mouth, hesitating until Natasha started looking at him again with that probing gaze. He swallowed and said, "But there's also a 14-year-old kid with him."
Natasha's expression changed immediately, and she said, "They went to crime scenes together?"
"Yes. But the first few did not have bodies."
"So the last ones did?"
"The most recent case was the murder of the mayor. It's very important, and that little girl has unparalleled talent in this area, so..."
"Unbelievable," Natasha said, "Do you think because I'm CIA, I'd be okay with this?"
"It was authorized by Batman."
"Then you're both sinners."
Gordon sighed, "The psychologist from Nemocine told me it wouldn't harm her mentally. I'm choosing to believe his professional judgment, ma'am. Although it sounds like an excuse, that's the reality—if we can't gather more clues, more people will die."
"You don't have to explain to me, just be true to your conscience." Natasha shook her head and walked out the door.
Those words clearly hurt Gordon more than a scolding. He stood silently in the office for a long time, and Natasha wasn't feeling any better as she stepped out the door. She really wasn't used to the style of this universe.
In her universe, even though the lives of superheroes seem tumultuous and exciting, every person who can be called a hero or even an anti-hero has a bottom line of not involving civilians. Even Magneto, a recognized terrorist, only attacked U.S. military bases, not civilian airlines or subways, even though the latter could create more sensational effects.
Over there, if a cop dragged a 14-year-old girl to a crime scene, and to multiple ones at that, having her see more than one dead body, he'd likely face Iron Man's rocket launcher, Captain America's flying shield, and Spider-Man's uppercut. No justifications, not even Shiller, would suffice.
But people here seem used to it. Gordon spoke as if he wanted to emphasize the little girl's talents, possibly even hinting to Natasha that if there was anything they didn't understand, she should go to the girl.
God. Natasha began to feel more sympathy for Batman. If this world truly follows the rule that evil begets evil, then it's very likely that the sins of Congress and the military would all fall upon Batman. He's simply a thoroughly unlucky fellow.
After calming herself a bit, Natasha began to review the files, proceeded to the forensics department to see the autopsy reports, and even went to the hospital to see the female killer. Unfortunately, the latter hadn't woken from her coma, unable to provide any insights.
Natasha was not a great detective, not very adept at deduction. But since Batman had hinted that the killer might not be a carbon-based lifeform he could catch, what she had to do now wasn't merely apprehending the killer but rather stabilizing the situation.
Although the upper-class panic stemmed from the 'Eden Killer', the best way to quell the panic was to catch the culprit. But if that wasn't possible for the time being, special agent tactics were necessary.
"How many unpardonable people are there in the city?" Natasha asked the nearby police officer.
The officer was visibly stunned for a moment, then said, "You should ask how many people aren't."
"How many aren't then?"
"About... one?"
"If you want to say Jesus, get out of here."
"No, but close. It's Batman."
"Oh, I should have thought of that." Natasha rubbed her forehead and said, "Then who do you think is the worst among them? The kind of person everyone instinctively thinks of when something bad happens?"
"Batman."
"What?"
"Whenever something bad happens, everyone thinks it was Batman. Because they think it's impossible for anyone to be that good." The young officer was honest, he said, "So no matter what bad happens, people will think Batman has shown his true nature."
Natasha felt a headache coming on. She said, "Apart from Batman? I mean, someone who looks very bad and we can catch?"
"Are you trying to scapegoat someone? Then you might want to directly ask who doesn't have any backing." The young officer thought for a moment and said, "There aren't many people like that, especially after the Gotham Gang has taken control of this city again."
"Then, the Joker?" Natasha said a name. She vaguely remembered hearing about Batman and Joker's stories.
"Ah, that's not possible. No one but Batman can catch him." The officer shook his head and said, "And if Batman doesn't show up, he won't either. If you can persuade Batman to cooperate with your plan, you might be able to lure him out, though there's nothing to be proud of in tricking a lunatic."
"Then Penguin Man." Natasha mentioned another name she seemed to remember. She recalled seeing it in Spider Man's "Gotham Travel Notes."
"Doing that would make people suspect you're the 'Eden Killer,' because Penguin Man is actually the real mayor." The officer said, "Fortunately, his informant in the police department was locked up. Otherwise, if what we said today got to his ears, we'd be hunted down."
Natasha sighed deeply. She didn't know much about the super villains here, even in Battleworld she couldn't quite tell them apart because they all seemed similar, like the kind of madmen Nick would pay a greedy salary to for eight thousand years in the future.
Natasha had no interest in the hearts of this group, nor did she understand the differences in their crazy claims. None impressed her particularly, so she was really at a loss.
"Alright, only one trick left." Natasha said, "Do you have any notable Russians here?"
"Uh, does a TV host count? Antonio, the host for the 8 PM talk show. I quite like him."
"Then it's him. Claim he's the 'Eden Killer,' then deport him back with charges of espionage and terrorism. I'll go fetch his file."
Natasha went to Gordon to get the file. Gordon didn't understand why she wanted the file of a TV host, but he gave it to her anyway.
Natasha pressed a button on her earpiece and said, "All units prepare, we commence capture operation for 'Eden Killer' Antonio at 7 PM tonight. Contact the Russian side and have them ready to receive."
Gordon slowly widened his eyes and looked at Natasha and said, "How do you know he's the 'Eden Killer'? My God, you're more impressive than Nemocine!"
Natasha couldn't help it and rolled her eyes, "He's a ridiculous killer. Which Russian assassin kills with a small knife? I just need an 'Eden Killer' to calm the upper class's panic—aren't you always saying the KGB are by my side?"
"But this is scapegoating." Gordon said.
"Is he some innocent saint?"
"Uh, you know there's no such person. That TV host was apparently outed before for smuggling drugs and pimping... But that's not important, the sentences for murder and drug trafficking are different..."
"So he's not being charged with murder, but with espionage. That way we can swap him back. Don't worry, he won't die, at most he'll squat in a padded cell for a few days. I'm familiar with Moscow."
Gordon opened his mouth, "You're familiar?"
"It's not just my name that's suspicious."
"Alright, Miss Romanov."
"Mrs., thank you."
"Okay, Mrs. Romanoff. You can't arrest him."
"Why?"
"He's one of the media mouthpieces promoted by Penguin Man after he came to power, and he's the brother of the biggest Russian Mafia boss in the city. Otherwise, how could he get away with such a suspicious name, with a St. Petersburg accent, and become a prime-time host?"
Natasha glanced down at the file—the guy's full name was Antonio Ivanovich Kuznetsov. He didn't even bother with an alias like David or Peter, even more brazen than her.
"Okay, this person won't work either. Do you have any other candidates?"
"There aren't many Russians in Gotham." Gordon said, "We have quite a few Irish and British here, can't they work?"
"No way, they'd be assassinated by British intelligence agency MI6 on the way to extradition. I'm familiar with London too."
"Aren't you Russian?"
"I'm Soviet."
"Then that explains it."