|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 14, 2010 16:25:20 GMT -6
To there it was. The old bat signal. It was rusty and broken, hardly the latest in technology. But even though it was just a rusty old light, it appeared to symbolize so much more.
Even though the Batman hadn't held any interest for her before, Vanessa found herself looking up every scrap of information about him. It was true what Thomas Wayne had said, he'd been a hero of sorts for the city and then out of nowhere he appeared again. How strange that someone would randomly want to take up that responsibility again.
She couldn't help but wonder who it was.
It was sunday, her day off, and she found it to be chillier atop the Gotham PD than she'd thought it would be. Shivering, Vanessa pulled her hooded sweater tighter around her and just stared at the old light in fascination, unable to help but feel like she stared at a rotted corpse, a piece of history...
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 14, 2010 16:54:42 GMT -6
He had been on patrol for a couple hours and thankfully the night had been quiet so far, well in that he hasn’t come across anything yet. Usually he was disappointed when something wasn’t going down for him to break up, but tonight he found it quiet thankful. Tonight he actually wanted things to be uneventful.
As he approached the Gotham Police Department, he noticed a red-headed woman with a hooded sweater looking at something that he hadn’t seen in years. As he got closer he realized that the woman was none other than Vanessa Vale.
Jumping off the ledge of the building he was on, he sent the electrical current through his cape needed to turn it rigid so that he could glide through Gotham’s night sky. High enough so that she couldn’t see him, he circled the building once before landing on the rooftop behind her quietly. Standing there in silence, he gazed at the relic from his father’s era, and felt a wave of emotion wash over him.
“Good evening Sergeant Vale,”[/b][/I] he finally said after regaining his composure.
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 14, 2010 17:00:49 GMT -6
Vanessa jumped and turned around in surprised, instantly her hand with to her hip where she kept her mace on her at all times, but seeing who it was she sighed and she folded her arms in front of her.
"Batman." She said back with a nod before glancing at the light. "Did you come to look at old pieces of lighting equipment too or are you stalking me now?" She smirked a little and stepped towards him, conscious of pieces of her hair getting in her face.
"I never thanked you by the way... for helping me out the other night..." She was uncomfortable with thank you's. It wasn't a phrase that passed easily through her lips. But even so she knew what might have happened to her had he not interfered.
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 14, 2010 17:25:42 GMT -6
“Neither actually. I was just on patrol when I noticed you standing on the rooftop with the old signal,”[/b][/I] he replied.
Walking past her, he headed straight to the old Batsignal. The large, broken down device was a piece of Gotham’s history, of his history. Reaching out, he ran his hand along the edge of the signal, and closed his eyes.
When she thanked him, he turned his gaze towards her. “You don’t need to thank me Sergeant Vale,”[/b][/I] he said. “Ever. I’m not doing this for thanks Sergeant. I’m doing it because nobody else can. Because someone has to.”[/b][/i]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 14, 2010 17:33:57 GMT -6
She shifted a little, a sign that she was uncomfortable with his response but she nodded and shrugged, "Well thank you just the same."
Vanessa had seen how he approached the light almost in reverence and placed his hand ontop of it.
"So that's what Gotham used to use to call the old...er... you?" She wasn't sure if she'd insult him by suggesting he wasn't the vigilante that was part of Gothams history.
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 14, 2010 17:56:17 GMT -6
He sensed her uneasiness at his response and partly couldn’t blame her. He could see it was difficult for her to thank him. She was someone tough and independent and probably not used to being the one getting saved. The fact that she thanked him though still surprised him.
“Yes,”[/b][/I] he said with a nod in response to her question. “Commissioner Gordon would use this to alert my predecessor that his presence was needed. It was primitive, but it worked. Mainly because once that light hit the night sky, all the scum on the street knew that the Dark Knight was out on the streets.”[/b][/I]
He still couldn’t get over the amazement that she had uncovered the old Batsignal. It was just another relic from the past that reminded him of his father and reminded him of how much he missed his parents.
“So where did you find this anyway?”[/b][/i]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 14, 2010 18:41:36 GMT -6
She could sense there was something about this predecessor that made the current Batman emotional, even in the slightest bit. They were probably close, maybe even father and son. Vanessa nodded, thinking about the many teachers and examples she'd had and how dear to her they were.
"It was in the basement under some old tarps. I had some of the cleaners bring it up here. I wanted to see what it would have looked like." She looked up towards the sky, imagining the light. Now a days there were probably far better means of communication.
"So the former batman worked hand in hand with the old commitioner? What about his daughter? Barbara Gordon?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 14, 2010 19:09:41 GMT -6
As he walked around the old Batsignal, he couldn’t help but grin as his fingers traced along the old rusty steel. He had fond memories as a child of seeing the signal shining hope in the night sky of Gotham. Even though it meant that his father had to rush off.
“It was an interesting site to say the least Sergeant,”[/b][/I] he said as he turned his attention back to her.
His smile faded though when she had mentioned Barbara Gordon. He missed Barbara, she was very much like a sister to him, and at one point almost would have been had her and Dick gotten married. He remembered how she would mentor him about being a detective when his father and brothers were out on patrol or doing something important to save the galaxy.
“Yes, he worked with the old Commissioner. Gordon knew how important Batman was and did what he could to assist in the war against crime in Gotham. He was a good man,”[/b][/I] he said solemnly. “But why do you ask about his niece?”[/b][/I]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 14, 2010 21:06:50 GMT -6
She tilted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow. "Well, I should think you would know, since she was the first Batgirl. Or at least that's what everything points to." She watched him closely. It was an idea that had been rolling around in her brain. After all it wouldn't make sense for the Joker to have gone after an innocent college girl like that without cause. He wasn't a hit and run kind of villian, at least not according to everything she'd read."Maybe Gordon was your Predecessor and his adopted daughter one of his many accomplices."
She stepped towards him, beginning to circle the taller man. "Which would make me wonder who it is you are. One of the boy Robins perhaps? Gordon did have other children..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 15, 2010 20:40:45 GMT -6
He was quite impressed with her skills. Being able to deduce that Barbara was the first Batgirl was quite the ordeal. However the fact that she figured it wasn’t necessarily a good thing either. If she found out that Gordon wasn’t actually Batman, then further investigations could lead to her discovering the truth about his father and Dick. Even though he wanted to applaud her for her skills, he knew that he had to get her off that line of thinking.
“Interesting theory Sergeant,”[/b][/I] he said as he watched her circle him. “But I’m afraid you are wrong. Barbara Gordon was never a member of the organization. Joker went after Barbara as a way to get to her father. Everyone knew that Gordon helped my predecessor and nobody hated the Batman and his allies more back then than the Joker. Besides Sergeant. You are forgetting one very large key piece. James Gordon was an old man nowhere near capable of performing the feats that the Batman was known for and the two had been seen together numerous times.”[/b][/I]
That should make her change her tune. Hopefully she drops this and doesn’t dig any deeper. Last thing I need is someone digging into the past to discover my identity[/i]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 16, 2010 20:37:43 GMT -6
Even though she didnt show it she was inwardly disappointed. She hadn't actually calculated the ages and things, but it was most likely that what Batman said was true. She thought for a long moment before nodding slowly, "I guess you're right."
She walked over to him, facing him directly. She wasn't nervous or frightened, in fact merely curious. She studied his eyes for a moment thinking something about him familiar. "Well I guess it's a good thing that i've got no one close to me to worry about. If the criminals of this city are looking for a fight i'm not at all scared of giving it to them."
She turned to look over the city, "But unlike you, Batman, i'll carry my weapons legally and i'll clean up the streets within the boundaries of the law."
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 16, 2010 21:31:43 GMT -6
He was pleased that she seemed to believe what he had said about Barbara and the reasoning behind the Joker attacking her. It certainly made things easier for him knowing that she didn’t have any leads to investigate that could lead her to his secret identity.
“Well it looks like we have something in common after all Sergeant Vale,”[/b][/I] he said as he looked down at her.
He had to admit that this whole encounter of theirs was very unexpected and intriguing. The first time they had met she tried to arrest him. The second time he hadn’t given her the chance to do so, but this time she had the chance and wasn’t taking it. This time, she was actually talking to him almost as if she had no intention on arresting him.
“Sadly though Sergeant, operating inside the boundaries of the law doesn’t always get the job done does it.”[/b][/I] He stated. “The system is broken and corrupt. That is why people like me are needed. Because we can do what the law can’t get done. We can deliver justice. Look at how many times the criminals locked away in Arkham escape back to the streets. Who's going to put them behind bars? The Gotham PD?”[/b][/i]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 16, 2010 21:39:11 GMT -6
She turned to face him fully again, somewhat annoyed. "I'll grant you that many...most of the the men at gotham PD are... unsound. They don't seem to have the honor of the men I worked with back at NYPD, even so, i've got to do what I can."
Studying him again she folded her arms, feeling on the defense, "And whose to keep people like you from breaking under pressure? Do you have a price? Or a breaking point? You're not immortal. Eventually you'll meet that one villain that could corrupt even you. Without laws to bind you then what's to keep you from being even worse than the men I work with?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Batman on Oct 16, 2010 22:06:33 GMT -6
“Unsound is putting it lightly Sergeant,”[/b][/I] he as he turned his body towards her. “Most of Gotham PD is either corrupt or too unfit to be of any use to the force. The Chief himself looks like he has spent more time at a fast food joint than actually being a cop.”[/b][/I]
Thomas tried not to sound bitter or over critical, but he knew he failed. Thomas really had no respect for the Gotham Police Department. Not since the days of James Gordon was Gotham PD any good at doing actual police work. Sure it was still corrupt back then, but James Gordon was a good cop who was able to make the most of what he had, and he still did a good job with it.
But then when she started talking about breaking points, his thoughts drifted to that night on the rooftop of Wayne Tower when he had broken Hush’s neck. The fight had been brutal, with Thomas toying with the man who killed his parents. He enjoyed making Hush pay for what he did and it was that feeling that he fought every night within himself. Luckily it was a battle he was winning...at least for now.
“Everyone has a price. A breaking point. You as a police officer should know that Sergeant.”[/b][/I]
|
|
|
|
Post by Vanessa Vale on Oct 16, 2010 22:12:47 GMT -6
Vanessa walked towards him and put her hand on his arm, looking up into his masked face. "So what makes you different from me? We have the same focus, the same goal, the same drive. But you are the one that works outside the law and does it successfully. Why should you get that privilege?"
She lowered her hand and frowned, thinking about how it would be to throw off all restrictions of the law and just fight crime, bring criminals to the doors of the prison and then spend the days preparing for the next night. She wondered if she'd be any good at it...
|
|
