[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M3SfSt4.png[/img][/center] [color=f7941d]"You'll have to excuse me,"[/color] says the man with graying red hair and moustache as he paces behind his desk. [color=f7941d]"I don't really like talking to the press. The GCPD's already made an official statement, and normally I'd leave it at that. But in your case, I made an exception."[/color] Captain James Gordon, a man about the age my own dad would have been, has an air of seemingly perpetual concern and exasperation, a man who knows the rules and believes in them but is always surprised when someone breaks them. His brow is furrowed so deeply I could almost swear they were sculpted in place. There seems to be an "I'm getting too old for this" or a "Jesus, I need a smoke" hanging off the tip of his tongue at all times. In the far corner of the office, a bookish young woman in a wheelchair--Gordon's daughter, I was told-- types away at her computer, seemingly too engrossed in her own work to give us any mind. [color=RoyalBlue]"And why's that?"[/color] I ask, taking the bait. [color=RoyalBlue]"Why make the exception for me?"[/color] [color=f7941d]"Because of who you work for,"[/color] Gordon answers. [color=f7941d]"The [i]Daily Planet.[/i] I don't get a whole lot of time to sit down and read the papers anymore, and when I do, admittedly, it's usually the [i]Gazette.[/i] But your paper's got quite the reputation these days. Whenever people think of the [i]Planet[/i], they think of people in capes and tights doing crazy, impossible things. You've become the unofficial voice of Superman and everyone like him."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"To be fair, plenty of other news outlets cover metahuman activities,"[/color] I say. [color=f7941d]"True,"[/color] Gordon admits, [color=f7941d]"but none of them catch the public's attention the same way. Everyone knows that J. Jonah Jameson and G. Gordon Godfrey are cheap sensationalism, scare tactics to rile up an audience. But the [i]Planet[/i] plays it straight, or at least they pretend to. Sure, you talk about the damage these super-people cause, but you also point out the people they save, almost keeping score. And that, in a way, might actually be worse."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"How so?"[/color] I say, trying not to be offended. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the red-headed girl at the corner desk scrunch her nose, apparently annoyed by her father's stance as well. [color=f7941d]"Let's say Superman gets into a brawl in the middle of Metropolis,"[/color] Gordon continues. [color=f7941d]"Smashes another killer robot, saves the day. That's all well and good, and people start wanting to be more like him. A couple of weeks later, we've got the Bat-Man snapping limbs and shooting mobsters with their own guns. A few people start to raise concerns, but nobody dies so everyone turns a blind eye to it. Not long after that, the Punisher guns down a dozen people in New York. At this point, people start justifying it, saying that it's okay because his victims were all gangsters and drug dealers. As long as the perpetrator is seen by the public as the 'good guy' and the people he's thrashing are painted as 'bad guys,' all of his actions are seen as justified. No matter how many people get hurt, no matter how much damage is done, no matter how crazy the world becomes."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"And you think the [i]Daily Planet[/i] is to blame for this perception?"[/color] Gordon sits and ponders for a moment, choosing his words carefully. [color=f7941d]"Not completely,"[/color] he says. [color=f7941d]"Not even [i]mostly[/i], I'd say. But people trust the [i]Planet[/i] in a way that they don't trust your competitors. Your words carry a lot of weight. And I think it'd go a long way if you'd tell people what's going on here."[/color] Trying to read his expression, I get the impression that he's a man reaching the end of his rope, feeling himself lose more and more control of the situation he's in. [color=RoyalBlue]"Well, what would you want us to tell people that we're not already?"[/color] I ask. [color=f7941d]"Well, for starters,"[/color] he begins, [color=f7941d]"I don't think I've seen anyone talking about the long-term side-effects that being around all this insanity has on the population. People are starting to turn, well....cowardly. Superstitious. Some of the boys are starting to call it 'cape shock.' Take a suspect who came in about half an hour before you did. He walks in, wearing all sorts of crazy contraptions and calling himself 'the Electrocutioner,' and demands to turn himself in. Says he tried to mug a random passerby on the street, but the passerby happened to be [i]Superman[/i] in disguise. Hmph."[/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"Pretty crazy,"[/color] I clear my throat, and find myself looking away. I notice the red-headed girl at the computer has suddenly stopped typing. I glance over at her, but she continues to stare intently at the screen. [color=f7941d]"Point is, the city's falling apart,"[/color] Gordon says, [color=f7941d]"And there's only so much we can do on our own to turn it around. I'm not going to stop until I see the Batman behind bars, but, if I'm honest.....I'm not so convinced I can be the one who puts him there. The only way these super-people aren't going to tear apart the world they're trying to save is if they start holding each other accountable."[/color] I have to admit, that's a big reason why I'm here. The story aside, I've been letting the more....extreme elements of the vigilante community get out of hand. Maybe it's because I've been too preoccupied with disasters and monsters and cyber-terrorists. Or maybe it's because I really have had a blind spot when it comes to people claiming to act in the name of the greater good. Either way, he's right. If things are going to change, I have to-- [i]*KNOCK KNOCK*[/i] The door to Gordon's office opens, and a dark-haired woman steps in. [color=a187be]"Sorry to interrupt, Captain,"[/color] she says. [color=a187be]"but we've got some trouble brewing on the South Side. Apparently about a half-dozen drivers decided to start their own little demolition derby."[/color] Gordon sighs, and stands up from his desk. [color=f7941d]"Looks like we're gonna have to cut it short, Mister Kent,"[/color] he says, moving to the coat rack and donning his jacket. [color=RoyalBlue]"Actually, I'd better get going as well,"[/color] I say, standing and offering a quick handshake. [color=RoyalBlue]"Thanks for your time."[/color] He quickly shakes my hand and shows me out the door, before starting to shout out orders to his team. Meanwhile, I start looking for somewhere I can change. I'd rather not advertise to the Batman that I'm in the city and drive him into hiding, but I can't exactly leave innocent people in danger, either. As I duck into a stairwell and start undoing the buttons on my shirt, my phone rings. I've got it set to silent, only ringing for emergency calls. I frown. The officer mentioned the disturbance is going on around the south side of the city. Grant Park is on the south end as well. If Lois is in trouble again.... Checking the phone, I see it's not Lois. In fact, it's Jimmy. [color=RoyalBlue]"Jimmy?"[/color] I answer. [color=RoyalBlue]"What's--"[/color] [color=Orange][i]"Clark! Holy crap![/i][/color] Jimmy shouts on the other end of the line. [color=Orange][i]"Are you back at the apartment?!"[/i][/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"No, I'm in Gotham City today, remember?"[/color] [color=Orange][i]"Oh, thank God,"[/i][/color] he says, before I hear a loud, angry buzzing noise over the air. [color=Orange][i]"There is some [u]major[/u] stuff going on in Hob's Bay, man. Half of our block just got blasted to bits!"[/i][/color] [color=RoyalBlue]"[i]What?!?![/i]"[/color] [color=Orange][i]"It's like a friggin' war-zone here!"[/i][/color] he shouts over the sounds of an explosion. [color=RoyalBlue]"What's going on?!"[/color] I say in a panic. [color=RoyalBlue]"Who's behind it?"[/color] [color=Orange][i]"I can't--....---at --em,"[/i][/color] he says, the signal cutting in and out as the angry electrical buzzing gets louder. [color=Orange][i]"But I ---- 's Liv--"[/i][/color] The signal cuts off completely, and I stare disbelieving at the disconnected phone for a moment. I can't be in two places at one time. [color=RoyalBlue]"Damn it!"[/color] I curse to myself before opening up the shirt. People might die if I don't stop whatever's going on over on the South Side of Gotham. But people [i]will[/i] die if I don't stop the attack on Metropolis. Hopefully the GCPD can take care of the crazed motorists before it gets out of hand. In the meantime..... [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QCBxjch.png[/img][/center] ....I've gotta run back home. Hang on, Jimmy. I'm on my way.