Chapter 25
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New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.
Four years before the Siege of Gotham.
My relationship with Bruce had been getting better. We weren't where we used to be in this relationship. And probably would never get there again. It didn't mean it was for the worst. I would dare say that we had grown stronger in some ways. As we were slowly mending our relationship, he asked me questions about where I came from, about how much I knew. However, I was very careful not to provide information about the future of Gotham. He did ask why. I simply answered that he was no longer Batman. That I knew the consequences too well. One person knowing was enough.
The reactor had finally been built. To be honest, I had seen sketches of it before. I already knew what it would look like. And I knew what Talia and Bane would use it for in the end. But I couldn't tell this to Bruce. This was another way for him to help the people of Gotham. I couldn't tell him that this would end up being used as a weapon. And that he was the one who created it. I couldn't tell him that.
There were many things I couldn't tell him. Many things I wanted to tell him now that he knew the truth. And yet, I couldn't. It was killing me. Not only about the future but about how I felt. I was scared and we were still mending our relationship. None of us had said it before. I didn't even know if he still felt the same way. Maybe, his feelings had changed with the truth. Maybe I wasn't brave enough.
"Hey, Kid!" I greeted Blake sitting on the edge of his desk.
"Sanders." Blake greeted back. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm working a new case. A homicide, downtown."
"The robbery gone wrong?"
"Yep." I nodded. "We need someone discreet to check if anything that was stolen turned up in the streets."
"And you thought about me?" He smirked. "Why?"
"Because I trust you. And if anyone can find anything discreetly, it's you." I replied.
"Flattery, uh?"
"Is it working?"
"What am I looking for exactly?"
"Here's the list." I said handing him a list of multiple items. "Look for that one, specifically." I showed him a picture. "Custom made wedding band. It was engraved with the victim's name."
"What do you want me to do once I find it?" Blake asked me.
"You call me and wait for me there." I told him.
"I'm on it." Blake said.
"Thanks."
Life in Gotham, as you can see, followed its course. I was still a Detective at the Major Crime Units. The rate of organized crimes had dropped significantly. Things were looking great. I should be somewhat happy about it. About how good things were in the city. There were still crimes being committed but Bruce was right, with his sacrifices and Harvey's death. Batman wasn't needed at this moment. Of course, I wasn't happy about it.
That wasn't the only reason why I was unhappy. Although, everything looked great and Bruce and I were mending our relationship. I knew of what was to come. I knew what would be. It was maddening to know and not be able to change it. Because this world had its way to right itself. My actions to change the events for the better had consequences. It ended up in Sue's death. Maybe, she would have died without my intervention. Maybe in a car crash, hit by a bus, in an armed robbery, it would have happened one way or another. But she was taken because she knew me. She was taken because I involved her in this. And my last words to her was of anger and disappointment. She died thinking I hated her. Dwelling on this would not change anything. It would not change what was to come.
And yet, sometimes I wondered. Judge Surillo and Rachel Dawes were still alive. The world had not collapsed on itself. It had not claimed any more lives. It would not hurt to try and do something about the future. It would not hurt to warn Bruce, to tell him. It would be so easy. So, why was I so scared?
"I'm stopping it." Bruce said.
"What?" I asked him.
"The Energy Project." Bruce answered. "A physicist wrote a paper about how to turn a reactor, similar to the Energy Project one, into a nuclear bomb."
"I'm sorry." I said rubbing his arm. I knew this would happen and this was the only thing I could do, comfort him. "Are you sure about this?"
"It's all I can do." I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Did you know this would happen?"
I exhaled deeply. "Yes."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wanted to." I sat up. "But—I don't know what I can or can't tell you. And whatever I tell you, might change everything."
"Don't you want to change things?" Bruce frowned. "If you could and you can. Wouldn't you want to do it?"
"Of course, I do." I snapped. "But Sue is dead. She was my best friend and she died because I tried to change things." I closed my eyes briefly. "If I do it again, I may lose you and I won't be responsible for that. I can't let that happen."
Three years and six months before the Siege of Gotham.
"How's your knee? Better?" I asked as I slid into bed next to Bruce. His knee propped up on a pillow.
"You can say that." He sighed and put away papers that he was reading.
"Anything interesting?"
"Nothing promising." Bruce answered sliding under the covers.
"But you'll keep looking, right?" I laid my head on his chest. "You're not giving up?"
"On what?"
"Doing something good for Gotham. You won't give up on that, will you?" I asked him. "The city believes in Bruce Wayne. I know I do. The people may have turned their backs on Batman but not on Bruce Wayne. You can still do some good in this world."
"The reactor could be turned into a bomb. A bomb that could kill millions." I tensed at his words. Unbeknownst to him, it would be turned into a bomb. "What is it?"
"Nothing. Forget it." I said.
He pulled away and sat up. So, did I. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Bruce, please, can we not do this tonight?" Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Then tell me the truth." He insisted. "Tell me what is going to happen?"
I took a shaky breath. "The reactor—it's—it's going to be used as a bomb against Gotham." I glanced up at him and he had blanched. "A threat that would hang over our heads."
"And you knew?" His voice barely above a whisper. "You knew and you said nothing. You let me invest in this, knowing what it would do."
"I couldn't tell you that. I couldn't crush the only hope that you had." I said. "After, Harvey's death, you needed to believe that you could still do something for Gotham. That you could still save them. And that was it." I wiped my tears away. "That was your hope. I couldn't destroy that."
He got off of the bed, groaning as he stood up. "And you'd rather destroy Gotham?"
"You didn't hear me." I shook my head. "I said it will be hanged over our heads as a threat. I never said Gotham will be destroyed. But yes, the reactor will play a huge part in the future."
"How?"
"What?"
"How will they get access to it? How will they know?"
"Bruce…"
"Emma, I understand. But you know what is going to happen. You know who and why and how. You cannot just sit here and watch it happen. If we can do something about it, we need to." Bruce assured me. He sat back on the bed. There was a glint in his eyes that had been gone since he gave up on the reactor. That had disappeared after he gave up the Batman. "At least prepare for it."
I stared at him, debating with myself. Could I really do this? Could I really tell him about what would happen? It would be dangerous. It could mean the end of everything for both of us, for Gotham. It wasn't about us, though. It was about Gotham and saving as many lives as we could. And maybe this was what he needed.
"There won't be any names, just enough for us to be prepared."
I didn't tell him everything. I didn't tell him about Bane and Talia. I didn't tell him about the prison. But I told him about Wayne Enterprise and him going bankrupt. About the stolen fingerprints, about Selina Kyle without naming her, the automatic pilot. I told him what I could, I didn't know how it would change everything in the future. But I hoped that this world wasn't going to make me pay for it.
Not once had he asked me about the Batman or what Bruce Wayne would do. Not once had he questioned me or the truthfulness of what I knew. It was as though we were back at fighting crimes together. Back when we were fighting the Joker together. Except this time, it was against Talia al'Ghul. I didn't think it was for the best but I hoped it wasn't for the worst.
How did we prepare? We worked in the bat-cave for the most part. And went through every possible scenario. We were scheming against Talia al'Ghul, a woman that waited out her revenge in Gotham for three years. Playing the philanthropist part with perfection, no one suspected her and no one would. It was hard to navigate the information without names and locations. Especially when you leave out the most important part, Batman's return and downfall.
Bruce had been revigorated. He knew what would happen to Wayne Enterprise and was actively working to not let it happen. How? He did not tell me. I heard him call Lucius Fox on several occasions. About what exactly? No idea. What I knew though, was that he hadn't withdrawn himself from society. Maybe it was too early to tell but in spite of his bad knee, Bruce kept going to important social event. And since I did not tell him about Miranda Tate, he was still in contact with her. She kept bugging him about the shutting down of the Energy Project and he gave her the official version. The Reactor was malfunctioning, it had to be stopped. But that he was actively working on a new project.
I did not know if it would last. If Bruce Wayne would still be that active in a year and a half. I hoped so. But if he was that would change everything. Would we have the upper hand? Would it be worst that I imagined? Or better? I didn't know. I was scared out of my wits. I told him because I didn't want to lose him and because he was right. If I knew what was about to take place which I did, I should do something about it. To avoid as many deaths as I could.
While doing so, I was aware of the big unknown of this equation. How long did the Siege really last? What really happened in the streets of Gotham during that time? They showed the most relevant part of the bomb being moved. But they remained vague about what happened to the people of Gotham, or how the prisoners were wreaking havoc in the streets. It must have been chaos but we, as viewers, did not really get a grasp of the gravity of the situation. I knew I didn't. And that scared me even more.