"Anyone want a burger?"
Marco dropped several grease-stained paper bags on the break room table. Instantly, hands shot out from all directions, slapping down on the bags like seagulls fighting over garbage.
"Mine!"
"I called it first!"
"Bullshit, that's mine—"
"Sir." Anna appeared at his elbow, holding a folded newspaper. "This just came in this morning. You should probably take a look. It's... well..."
"Thanks." Marco took the paper, and he didn't even need to unfold it. The headline screamed at him from the front page in bold black letters:
[HERO OR MONSTER? Phoenix Pharmaceuticals Invaded by Giant Bat - Stolen Serum Sparks Public Panic]
Below it was a grainy still pulled from security footage: a blurry, bat-shaped shadow streaking past a doorway, wings spread wide enough to block out most of the frame.
["What exactly is protecting us?" Citizens question GCPD's competence in wake of recent incidents.]
He stared at the photo for a long moment, then looked up.
"What does this have to do with the GCPD?"
He was about to crumple the paper and throw it across the room when a thought occurred to him. GCPD probably meant headquarters. Not the East End, so not his problem.
"Oh. Never mind then."
He tossed the paper back to Anna. "Ignore it. This has nothing to do with us. Whatever that thing is, you and I can't deal with it anyway. Let Major Crimes worry about it."
"Yes, sir." Anna nodded solemnly, tucking the paper under her arm.
"Ha..." Marco leaned back in his chair, stretching. "If it weren't for that dismemberment case going nowhere, this would've been a perfect day to—"
Brrrring. Brrrring.
The phone in his pocket started vibrating before he could finish. He pulled it out, saw the blocked number, and sighed.
"Spoke too soon."
He answered, already knowing what he'd hear. Sure enough, that distorted voice came through the speaker.
"Black Mask is mobilizing. Something big is coming. I'll contact you again once I have a specific target."
"Wait, where are they staging from? Hello? Hello?"
The line went dead. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment before shoving it back in his pocket. He looked around the break room at his team, all of them watching him expectantly.
"Intel says Black Mask is calling in reinforcements. Looks like he's gearing up for something major."
"Copy that!" Several voices responded in unison. Alan shoved the last of his burger into his mouth, stood up, and headed toward the armory.
"Hold on." Marco raised a hand. "Don't go running off half-cocked. I'll forward the intel to Gordon. Let Major Crimes handle it."
Darnell frowned, clearly disappointed. "We're not going to... I don't know, take a look? We could—"
"We could what?" Marco cut him off. "When you rob a bank, do you bring the cash box with you to the getaway? No. You stash it somewhere safe first. Besides, what kind of 'big operation' could Black Mask even pull off at this point? He's down to maybe thirty guys after Falcone's ambush..."
Then it hit him.
His eyes went wide, and he shot to his feet so fast his chair went flying backward.
"Holy shit. He's not thinking of hitting the precinct, is he?! All units, listen up! Battle stations, now! Lock down all doors and windows except the main entrance! Check the curtains, make sure nobody can see inside! Seal the ventilation shafts! Close off the underground garage! If we take fire, nobody sticks their head out! You hear me? Survival comes first! We're cops, not heroes!"
---
Deep inside an abandoned automobile assembly plant on the west side of Gotham, broken conveyor belts and rusted car frames threw jagged shadows beneath flickering industrial lights. Rain dripped through shattered skylights.
Black Mask stood on a platform built from stacked pallets, his left arm wrapped in crude bandages that were already starting to soak through. And below him, scattered across the factory floor, stood just over thirty men. This was all that remained of his core strength after Falcone's ambush and the police raids. They stood in silence.
"We were supposed to own this city. Now there's been a setback. But it doesn't matter. Falcone and the GCPD chased us. They think we're finished. They think we're done. But they are wrong. Surrender has never been my option! Hiding has never been my style! When the entire world turns against you, what do you do?"
He spread his arms wide.
"You burn it all down and build something new from the ashes!"
A low rumble of approval rippled through the crowd.
"They tell you it's all for justice. They tell you it's about law and order. Bullshit. There is no justice in this world, only power. Power decides who makes the rules. Power decides who gets locked in a cage, and who stands outside the cage laughing!"
He gestured sharply toward the shadows at the edge of the factory floor.
"Blackgate. That cage stuffed full of failures and broken men. All of Gotham's so-called order and authority claims it's impregnable. The cops brag about it. The politicians point to it as proof their system works. Fine. Then I'll smash it to pieces with my own hands."
Excitement spread through the crowd.
"You will follow me, and we will charge in! We'll arm our army! We'll unleash every monster, killer, and dangerous bastard they've locked away! And when the screaming stops, we will stand in the ruins and become the only rule this city has left!"
He snapped his fingers, and behind him a massive canvas dropped, revealing a rough but detailed structural diagram of Blackgate. Several key points were marked in red.
"Tapped communication channels. Signal jammers. Inside men." Black Mask jabbed his finger hard at the center of the blueprint. "I've arranged it all. They think it's a fortress? I'll turn Blackgate into a joke!"
He raised both fists above his head.
"At sunrise tomorrow, when the sirens wail and the city wakes up to chaos, Gotham will remember this day! They'll remember who gave them true freedom!"
Below the platform, every man raised his weapon and let out a roar.
Near the loading dock, tarps were ripped off several trucks, revealing mountains of weapons inside. Assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, grenades, smoke bombs, breaching charges, body armor. Enough firepower to start a small war. The crowd surged forward in silence, each man claiming his gear.
Thirty minutes later, a convoy of modified trucks, armored SUVs, and motorcycles tore through the night, racing toward Blackgate Penitentiary. No headlights. Engines kept low and quiet. Black Mask sat in the back seat of the lead vehicle. Beneath the mask, his expression was blank.
---
"So that's the situation."
Marco held his phone to his ear with one hand while using the other to mark locations on a map of Gotham spread across his desk. "That call came in about forty minutes ago. Black Mask is moving on Blackgate with what's left of his crew. But here's the bad news, two suspected merc teams are also heading toward the charity gala at City Hall Plaza and the commercial district center."
"Damn it!" Gordon's voice exploded through the speaker, and Marco could hear him pounding his desk. "Where did that guy get so many people?!"
"Calm down." Marco leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. "He's got money. Money buys loyalty. If Loeb hadn't been skimming half the department's budget for the past decade, you'd have more officers than Black Mask has thugs. Alright. What's your assessment?"
Gordon took a breath, and when he spoke again his voice was more controlled. "Blackgate's got ESU on-site, they can hold the line for a while. I'm sure there'll be plenty of security at that event, very well-funded private security. You know how these rich people are about protecting their investments."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Are you implying what I think you're implying?"
"I'm not implying anything. I'm just saying Wayne Enterprises throws a very secure party. I'll take a team and clear the commercial district. Too many civilians there. We can't risk it turning into a massacre."
"Good call. I'll coordinate with ESU at Blackgate. Keep me posted on your 10-20."
Marco set the phone down and stared at the map for a long moment. Something about this whole situation felt wrong. Black Mask was smart. Hitting Blackgate was suicide unless he had an angle he couldn't see.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, nearly colliding with Darnell in the hallway.
"Darnell."
Darnell stuck his head around the doorframe. "Shift's almost over. What's up?"
"You're coming with me."
Darnell's eyebrows shot up. "Where?"
"Blackgate."
"What?" Darnell stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him. "Are you serious? Black Mask is hitting Blackgate with everything he's got. That's a death sentence. Why the hell would we—"
"Because Gordon said the same thing." Marco grabbed his keys and badge from the desk. "And he's got a bad habit of tempting fate. Something about this whole thing doesn't sit right with me. We're going to go quietly, scope it out, and see if we can catch Black Mask."
Darnell stared at him for a long moment, then sighed.
"You know, one of these days your paranoia's going to get us both killed."
"Maybe." Marco opened the door. "But today's not that day. Come on. We're wasting time."