You decide to look into...

>Angelo, he seemed cruel and loyal. The perfect qualities for a Hitman, even if he isn't SIM himself it would be a service to put him away.
>Quebec, he didn't seem fully on board with the murder. He might of sold her out but that kind of guilt eats at a man. You need to find him and press him.
>Rogers (direct), No more games, you need to know exactly what his investment in this is and there's no better way than to ask him directly.
>Rogers (subtle), This is suspicious, too suspicious to risk blowing a lead openly. You'll return the files to Rogers and begin looking into him directly.
>The Case Itself, If this much of it was redacted it was done for a reason. You have no way of figuring out fed secrets. But you know a man who does, and he might just owe you a favor.
>Luciano's, If Luciano's was a mob hang out, who's to say it still isn't? Even if it turns out to be clean, that speak-easy is probably still hidden on the property with potential clues.
>There's something else on your mind...(Write-In)

The more you mull it over and look at your leads it's all too much to keep track of alone, you'll bring this to the group at the end of the week and check their leads, if nobody else has made headway you could always..
>Assign Huntress and Question to look into...(Choose from above)
>Assign Hawthorne and Grey to look into...(See Above)
>Keep it to yourself, no need to send everyone scrambling.

I just couldn't help myself, I needed to give you all something to mull over for the weekend while I took my break. Game resumes on Sunday at the normal time.

Any new readers/players who want to catch up on the story I have this link for you.
Previous Threads: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=DetectQM

Cover Art Credit: The fantastic anon in my previous threads who has done some very cool art for the quest so far, if you want to reach out and drop a self promote if you do anything online please reply to this and do so. I appreciate the work you've done for me tons.

Anyone who posts their art in here has a pretty high chance of having it make it as a cover photo for future sessions.

>>5877171
>>Quebec, he didn't seem fully on board with the murder. He might of sold her out but that kind of guilt eats at a man. You need to find him and press him.
>>Rogers (subtle), This is suspicious, too suspicious to risk blowing a lead openly. You'll return the files to Rogers and begin looking into him directly.
>>Assign Huntress and Question to look into...(Choose from above)

>>5877171
>Assign Huntress and Question to look into... Angelo
>Assign Hawthorne and Grey to look into... Rogers
>DeLucia looks into… Quebec

-Question is the right guy to find paper trails on mystery men.
-Grey and Hawthorn are in a good position to look into Rogers without raising a fuss.
-Shivers are the right tool for finding a long-hidden dead body.

>>5877178
Huntress and Question Quebec
Hawthorne and Grey Rogers

File: 1703902257439842.png (704 KB, 1200x1500)

704 KB PNG

>>5877169
Not the artist anon that actually made this, but I did edit the picture very slightly in the SIM killer's "face" to make it hazier. I like to think our vision of it has an almost glitchy, wavery effect to it. Something like when you get interference on an old device.

>>5877171
>Rogers (subtle), This is suspicious, too suspicious to risk blowing a lead openly. You'll return the files to Rogers and begin looking into him directly.

>Assign Hawthorne and Grey to look into...(See Above)
Look into that cop uncle of his in advance. Ask around. They probably know who the guy is, and his rep. Is he dirty?

>>5877595
Impressive

>>5877171
backing >>5877612

>>5877623
It's really not, it's just a lasso select and fucking around with some filters in pixlr editor, literally anyone can do it and it takes 0 skill. The dude that made the original is the real impressive one. Thanks though.

>>5877649
>filters in pixlr editor
Tell me

File: screenshot.png (37 KB, 462x295)

37 KB PNG

>>5877683
RGB split with a minor offset and the direction changed until I found one I thought looked good. Then hit it with the Interference filter, toned down a LOT.
With these simple tricks, you too can look like you actually know a thing or two!

>>5877171
>>The Case Itself, If this much of it was redacted it was done for a reason. You have no way of figuring out fed secrets. But you know a man who does, and he might just owe you a favor.
More food for the shivers
>Assign Huntress and Question to look into Quebec.
Question will find him and Huntress will get the answers out of him. If he's alive that is, 10 years is a long time. Plus, it's digging into Mandragora, Huntress will like it.
>Assign Hawthorne and Grey to look into Rogers uncle
Good call, this was suspicious

>>5877172
>if you want to reach out and drop a self promote
Uhhh. I have twitter, but since most things I draw in digital are quest fanarts, it's pretty empty. But hey, no meme reposts or hot takes! Follow today! https://twitter.com/Red__Wisp

>>5877595
That's really cool, anon. I neglect effects and special tools a lot, and get locked into G-pen/eraser grindset. I think it serves me well, but edits like this look nice.

>>5877169
QM, how old was the boy?

If it was roughly a decade ago, what are the odds that he would be the same age as Rogers at the time?

>>5877987
He could be around the right age, you aren't positive Roger's age so it makes it hard to be sure but it's the same general area.

>>5878578
>everyone's faces when Rogers is actually that boy's secret twin brother and he joined the force to try to find leads on what happened to him all those years ago
I will literally kill you if you do this

>>5877171
>The Case Itself, If this much of it was redacted it was done for a reason. You have no way of figuring out fed secrets. But you know a man who does, and he might just owe you a favor.

Happy New Years guys, I'll be back tomorrow and so I'll leave voting up until then. So far we have:

>Mark focuses on the case
and
>Hawthorne and Grey look into Rogers Uncle
>Huntress and Question on Quebec (for now)

I'll tally em up tomorrow

>>5878580
I mean, it's an actual good twist if it is built right.
Especially as it would add to why he was so much of an ass about us being meta at the start.

>>5879068
>tfw they do look exactly the same but they are in fact unrelated and it's entirely coincidental

>>5879068
"Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them."
There's been nothing to suggest it so far, so unless we start building upon the idea relatively soon, it'll seem like it came out of left field. There's a pretty good reason why it's one of the core tenents of detective fiction to not use the "Suddenly Twin" twist: Because it's hard to actually build it right, and it'll end up shit more often than not. Even in the hands of an otherwise good writer.

File: file.jpg (97 KB, 903x1000)

97 KB JPG

>>5879089
They don't look exactly the same. So far the only things we can confirm is build and hair color, which still fits.

also pic related.

>>5877171
>Rogers (direct), No more games, you need to know exactly what his investment in this is and there's no better way than to ask him directly.
I mean, if Rogers really is SIM it's probably better to confront him when he's not in serial killer mode. If not, then we just get to find out wtf is going on with him because he is suspicious as all hell.

>Assign Huntress and Question to look into Angelo.
>Assign Hawthorne and Grey to look into Rogers Uncle.

File: 1331158088021.jpg (128 KB, 827x546)

128 KB JPG

>>5879198

>>5879201
wtf? 4chan is acting weird...

>>5879125
It’s almost like siblings tend to have features resembling each other, like build and hair color.

Without being identical twins.

>>5879284
You can be twins without being identical.
General age range matters too.

>>5877612
>>5877625
>>5877900
>>5878688
>>5879147

Your thoughts come at you like a handful of loose puzzle pieces being thrown, you struggle to think of where these pieces fit with yours. You decide to break it down slowly.

First things first: This case has your eye mainly the fact it's surprisingly sparse for Fed standards stands out. From what you know feds won't even start a file until they're confident it'll lead to something on you. The bold black bars almost mock you, a piece of the puzzle stuck deep behind the couch, it holds it's secrets over your head knowing that you can't reach them. Then, it connects. YOU can't find out the truth behind those black bars, but you know someone who can. Agent Gideon, the very same ARGUS Agent you provided Anarky to on a silver platter. Perhaps that can be traded in for a favor?

You decide you'll ask him tomorrow if he's still hanging around GCPD when you go in. As for the other pieces that tug at your brain, Rogers himself is a mystery. The way he acts is so unnatural to you that it's hard to even think about how he got through the academy, slowly the more time you spend with him the more you attribute his aloofness to something more sinister or just wrong about him. Something about the way he looked at his phone, almost as if he were afraid, it stayed with you. Hawthorne and Grey could look into this themselves with a little more leeway, if his Uncle is a cop then a few veteran officers asking around won't be so suspicious. You hope.

Finally your mind settles on Quebec, the most likely out of the group to be a wild goose chase. The Pimp profession doesn't exactly provide job security and with ten years at the least having passed then it's more likely than not that Quebec is dead, in jail, or out of the game. Regardless, all you need is for him to be alive and accessible to answer a few questions. Question and Huntress will probably jump at the chance to look into this guy and Mandragora.

You shudder. The pale face of Mandragora looming in your mind, that total gripping fear you felt when the weight of the pistol settled in your lap, and the feeling of resignation as your hand wrapped around the grip. You swallow hard and break away from the memory with some meditative thought. Mandragora needs to be stopped, almost as urgently as SIM does, your mind wanders back to SIM's question as you pack away the files and trudge to your disrupted bed. Suddenly worn down and exhausted from only half a days work.

"How would you feel if you had to kill someone?"

You settle down into bed, just to rest for a little bit, as the question recites itself. You pass into a deep sleep praying you never have to find out.

You open your eyes and find yourself floating over Gotham again. The same sort of weightless floating you feel when doing deep dives with your visions. Horns blare, sidewalk musicians play their tunes, and the sound of conversation fill the air. The buildings and streets of Gotham twinkle like the light passing through a dark black gem. A voice disturbs your silent admiration of beauty.

"This is where I found you last time so I figured I would bring you back."

Nia's voice pierces the ambience of the city. You listen as the sounds and lights fade away slowly and you're left gazing into a dark grey cloudbank that shifts over the city.

"Nia, I really don't like it when you mess with my dreams." You say quietly, your chest aching ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry, Mark. But this isn't a social visit or because I want to talk about anything."

You slowly right yourself and face her, both of you specks in a vast ocean of starlight and clouds, she has a smile on her face but you've seen it before. The look she gave you before telling you about her new job and asking you to move with her, scared of the answer.

"Tell me what's going on, Nia?" You ask a little concerned now.

She shakes her head.
"I was told I can't. I just need to tell you this:
Old Teller's Road House.
Five miles outside Gotham along the highway.
Tomorrow."

You cock your head.
"Old Teller's? That place got shut down when I was a kid for having lead in the pipes, what's this about Nia."

She shakes her head again.
"Really, I can't tell you. Just..please go."

>"Nia, you're starting to freak me out. What is this about can you tell me that at least?"
>"Nia, this is a bad time for whatever this is. If you don't tell me what this is about then I'm not bothering."
>"Not until you tell me everything, I don't see you this freaked out ever."
>"Okay, Nia. I can make time tomorrow."
>"I really don't have time for this. Stop popping up in my dreams, Nia. I don't want to talk to you or anyone else who feels the need to use our old relationship as leverage."
>Write-In

>>5879775
>facepalm
>why are all these capes so into their cryptic shit?
>boy are you glad you're not like that
>sigh
>"Another cape put you up to this, didn't they?"
>recall Justice League
>think of the most insane possibility
>"It's Batman, isn't it? He put you up to this."

>>5879775
>"Nia, you're starting to freak me out. What is this about can you tell me that at least?"
Probably she won't. but it's worth a go.

>>5879780
You're probably right, but let's ask Question and Huntress if they know anyone else in the League who pulls stunts like this.

>>5879775
>"Nia, this is a bad time for whatever this is. If you don't tell me what this is about then I'm not bothering."
>"Seriously, cut the shit."

>>5879775
>>"I really don't have time for this. Stop popping up in my dreams, Nia. I don't want to talk to you or anyone else who feels the need to use our old relationship as leverage."

>>5879775
>"Nia, this is a bad time for whatever this is. If you don't tell me what this is about then I'm not bothering."
What does she expect, for us to drop everything at a whim because she's our ex?

>>5879775
>"Nia, you're starting to freak me out. What is this about can you tell me that at least?"
I'm curious.

File: BAtmang.jpg (61 KB, 474x817)

61 KB JPG

>>5879888
>>5879792
>>5879780

You put your hand over your face and sigh as you drag it away, shaking your head.

"Nia, this is a bad time for whatever 'this' is. Can you drop the cryptic shit and just tell me what this about at least?"

She looks a little shocked at your irritation.

"I just said that I can't tell you." She stutters.

"Cut the shit." You respond sharply. "Another cape put you up to this, they must have, you know I don't appreciate having you root around in my head when I sleep. So somebody must have pushed you for it."

Her faces grows red and she remains silent.

"Alright then so we do it like this, I'll give you a taste of what my new job has me doing for the past 3 days." You kneel to the ground and close your eyes, focusing hard on your memories and recalling a trick Nia had taught you before, when you open them you see the detective's office where you sat with Grey and Kimble. You approach the white board and clear the pages from it, most of them containing gibberish scribbles and blob-like artwork, tapping a spot you say out loud.

"People pressuring you isn't something that happens often, people know you hate it and have a hard time saying no."
A sheet of laminated paper appears under your finger, a small crowd of people.

"That takes family and friends off the table."

"Mark.." Nia protests but you hold up a finger.

"If you don't want to tell me then I'll figure it out myself. I'm different than you remember and if this doesn't prove it then nothing will."

You tap a new spot.
"In the realm of capes you're very well acquainted with one." You tap and a sheet bearing the bold red S of Superman and Supergirl appears. "But Supergirl is also a close friend of yours, which means she wouldnt push you unless she was being pushed."

You drag your finger down leaving a trail that becomes red yarn, connecting to another image. The Symbol of The Justice League.
"This brings us to your 'colleagues' at The Justice League. I'm not exactly a threat to anyone, and I doubt they care about the work I'm doing now or they'd send help and not a messenger."

"Mark..please." Nia says. You ignore her and tuck your head while you tap your fingers on your jaw.

"That means it's someone who holds a lot of sway, someone who would have reason to have taken note of me, and more than that someone who believes I could be useful to them or the league specifically but also doesn't want me in the City using my abilities on them." Your brain connects the piece and you lift your head tapping the center of the board and very slowly a large profile shot of Batman appears.

Nia looks down and away from you.

"It's Batman isn't it?" You ask, a little in shock of where the pieces led you.

Nia throws her hands up in exasperation, her discomfort all over her face.
"Congratulations." She whispers. "I'm gonna be the one who gets in trouble for breaking Opsec, but I'm glad you got to solve your mystery."

Nia's eyes dance dangerously with the building tears. Your rush from the deduction fades away and you find yourself feeling a little bad.

"Sorry, Nia. But I have way too much on my plate to spend time doing things I don't know the meaning of. I still don't even know, if anything this just gives me more questions."

She sighs and wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Well it isn't like it matters. I should have just given you the message and then left."

"Why didn't you?" You ask her. The Detective's Room fades away and you find yourself riding the calm dark clouds that hover over Gotham.

She shrugs at first, then opens her mouth, then closes it, and finally she just sighs in exasperation.
"I don't know. I wanted to make sure you were okay, that you were safe."

"I'm a cop, Nia." You say

"That's the entire point!" She says, a cloud nearby rumbles in response, you tilt your head and a new mystery clicks.

"You never wanted me to be a cop, did you?"

Her face tightens up and she avoids your eyes.
"The idea that some maniac could just walk up and shoot you.."

"Is part of the job." You cut her off. "I'm out there so that doesn't happen to someone's son or daughter."

"You're someone's son!" She fires back. "You're putting your life at risk to help people when you don't have to! You never had to!"

"What?"

"If you joined the League you'd be in the same role as me! Supporting the heavy hitters instead of standing in front of one. Even back in college you could have joined with me and Supergirl and together we could have-"

You cut her off with a raised finger as something strikes you.
"Back in college? You didn't even want me doing it when we were together? You never said anything."

"It was your dream.." She says quietly. "I just thought, or hoped I guess, that I could be as important as that. That I could give you both? A way to help people but also a way to stay safe away from the frontlines of it all."

"You wanted to give me a way?" You ask confused, your brain processes her statement and a cold feeling settles on you like falling mist. "You came back into the apartment with your uniform on cause you knew. You knew I was home and you wanted me to see you.."

Your mind flashes to her bruised face.
"You wanted me to see that the job had gotten you hurt..." You shake your head and scowl. "You were trying to manipulate me. You wanted me to join to protect you, to make it seem like MY idea."

She shakes her head.
"Mark, no that is not how I meant for it to happen!"

The clouds roil and dark grey tendrils of them whip and stretch.
"I didn't plan to get hurt..but I did want to tell you, I just didn't know how to do it without hurting you."

"So you surprise me with it?"

"It was always going to be a surprise." She whispers

You sigh and take some deep breaths.
"Nia, what the fuck?" Is all you can muster.

"I know.." She replies sadly. "I just want you to be safe because...I miss you, Mark."

>Don't be a cop where you can get badly hurt or murdered!
>Join the justice league and risk your life fighting supervillains and aliens from outer space instead!
Ex is dumb.

"Nia, don't do that now." You reply shaking your head.

A calm descending on you as you look at her and realize she isn't who she used to be. You look down at yourself and see your clenched hand by your hip, see your feet positioned how they taught you in the academy, and you realize you aren't who she remembers either. You sigh and the roiling clouds disappear. Peace floods your mind as you realize what this moment actually is.

Closure.

"I'm sorry, Nia. But what you want isn't ever going to happen. I made an Oath that I plan to uphold until they day I die or retire."

She blinks and spare tears roll down her face like glimmering clear gems.
"That scares me.."

"I'm not yours to worry about anymore, Nia."

She closes her eyes and clears her throat.
"Old Teller's Roadhouse. Go there tomorrow, any time you have free. Go alone please."

You nod.
"I'll consider it. But I'd be a lot more obliged to meet Batman if I actually saw him doing something for the city lately. It seems the entire place is going to hell and he's too busy with League business to worry about Gotham."

She opens her mouth but rethinks whatever she was going to say. She simply nods again before looking down at the city. She slowly begins to distort and fade, she's leaving you to your dream. But she asks, to you or herself you aren't sure, "What's so special about this damn city?"

"It's home." You reply simply.

She turns her head to you, a small smile laced with tears.
"We're really done aren't we?"

>Nod. Say nothing else, this hurts you too.
>"We really are, I'm sorry."
>"We are, don't come to my dreams again, no matter who asks you."
>"That's up to you, I never said you couldn't be a cape. But I'm not stopping being a cop."
>"If you had told me the truth from the start maybe it could have been different."
>Write-in

As always with long scenes like this, please let me know what you thought of the scene. Or just how you feel about Nia.

>>5880096
To give her full credit, her position in the League compared to what it was helping out Supergirl is a lot more 'hands-off' you could say. What Mark would do specifically and what he could bring to the League is a question for someone else to answer however.

>>5880102
>Nod. Say nothing else, this hurts you too.
Break ups tend to suck, yeah.

>>5880088
>"The idea that some maniac could just walk up and shoot you.."
Damn, who could have thought that random acts of violence are random! Why I never. Indeed there is zero chance that a cape signing autographs or taking a breather on the sidewalk after a job may get stabbed or shot. All of them are just as invulnerable as Superman or Aquaman. Silly us.

Nia seems to be under the impression that she can put all the things she loves into a nice safe bottle and tuck it away. That's not how life works. For all any of us know, her included, we could suffer a random aneurysm and die tomorrow without any fanfare. Dammit girl quit trying to be a hero and just be a good person. Not everyone can be saved. Not everyone needs to be saved. Not everyone wants to be saved. And here I thought Mark had a thick skull.

>>5880102
>>"We really are, I'm sorry."
She's gonna wind up hurting herself more by trying to fix things. So nip that shit at the bud.

>>5880102
>Nod. Say nothing else, this hurts you too
Nothing to be sorry for!

>>5880075
>"Congratulations." She whispers. "I'm gonna be the one who gets in trouble for breaking Opsec, but I'm glad you got to solve your mystery."
WAIT I WAS FUCKING RIGHT?

>>5880102
>Nod. Say nothing else, this hurts you too.
Very nice work DetectQM. I like how you wrote figuring out it was Batman, it wasn't a simple "IT'S BATMAN!" thing, we actually reasoned it out. I really liked this scene in general, Nia seems well meaning, but she just doesn't know us anymore.

>>5880102
>>"If you had told me the truth from the start maybe it could have been different."
also adding on "Nia if you ever contact me from my dreams again I will ignore you"

>>5880102
>"We really are, I'm sorry."

Especially after this shit. She’s only here because one of her cape buddies put her up to it.

QM, I like the long dream scenes. It’s a nice way to introduce story elements that wouldn’t necessarily fit the normal narrative.

>>5880102
>>"That's up to you, I never said you couldn't be a cape. But I'm not stopping being a cop."
I like her, she just doesn't get what it means for us to be a cop yet. Hopefully she finally understands.

>>5880102
>"We really are, I'm sorry."

>>5880102
>"We really are, I'm sorry."
I do feel kinda bad about this, but you can't really have much of an intimate relationship without a solid foundation of trust and communication.
>>5880129
>Indeed there is zero chance that a cape signing autographs or taking a breather on the sidewalk after a job may get stabbed or shot.
I'm pretty sure there was at least one completely random schizo who made plans to murder Batman in exactly that kind of scenario. And where there's one known, there's at least a dozen unknowns.

>>5880102
>"That's up to you, I never said you couldn't be a cape. But I'm not stopping being a cop."

>>5880102
>>"We really are, I'm sorry."

>>5880102
>>"That's up to you, I never said you couldn't be a cape. But I'm not stopping being a cop."
>>"If you had told me the truth from the start maybe it could have been different."

More along the point is she didn't want us to get hurt. But that's what it means to be a 'hero' to us. It's alright she wants to stay out of the line of fire, but we want to be face to face to help where we can. There may be a place for capes, but there has to be cops. Not everyone can be 'above' the populace.

Also think It's less we're upset with Batman explicitly not being around and more upset that there has been a lack of heavy hitters helping Gotham. Like even Flash finds time to help people in his city. It makes the news all the time. Gotham is having some major shit shows going on that aren't being handled.
(It's probably just the fact Joker's back in Arkham again, so there are 'bigger priorities')

>>5880144
It makes sense. Only someone who's heavily attuned with Gotham AND is able to order Nia is involved.

They need to know we have shivers, want to not be read by shivers, believe shivers will affect them AND be able to create this kind of leverage to make Nia work. And he used Nia because she is outside the city and able to message us. Physical media and possibly other people in Gotham may result in shiver traces. Who else would take that many levels of precaution on top of the initial precaution. If you don't know the extent of the power, cover as many bases as possible.


The alternatives are the Bat Family, to some extent, and some of the magical people... which we don't know about. And even they wouldn't know to leverage Nia for this. Which means Batman knows significantly more about us than he probably should. I'm sure we can tell him we don't appreciate his method even if we understand why.

>>5880096
She WAS trying to shuffle us into a support role, I guess.

>>5880102
>"We really are, I'm sorry."
Poor lady. Still, she needs to learn boundaries and proper communication, and that ain't our problem to solve no more.

>>5880644
When you have stopped an interdimensional intercursion and a dark god or two, I guess Mandragora really does start to look like small-fry, but OOC we know what it's been: Batman has been busy doing Bruce Wayne things lately, trying to spend his money wisely and improve the city that way.

>>5880102
>>Nod. Say nothing else, this hurts you too.

>Or just how you feel about Nia
Nia is okay. Realistic well-meaning-but-kind-of-manipulative girl I suppose.

>>5880688
>She WAS trying to shuffle us into a support role, I guess.
And to be fair, this is a good fit for shivers. Mark is more than the extension of his powers though

>>5880102
>"That's up to you, I never said you couldn't be a cape. But I'm not stopping being a cop."

>>5880731
>She WAS trying to shuffle us into a support role, I guess.
>And to be fair, this is a good fit for shivers. Mark is more than the extension of his powers though

I think... that really captures the point that Mark's trying to make. He's more than what his powers let him do. Plenty of non-supers make the same sacrifices, and crime would be rampant without them. Technically, as a cop, we could also just 'stay' in a support role. But that's the point of the choice isn't it? To know the possible consequences and be willing to keep going.

We Really Are:
>>5880129
>>5880199
>>5880268
>>5880320
>>5880483
>>5880688

Nod, say nothing:
>>5880116
>>5880141
>>5880147
>>5880731

That's Up To You:
>>5880644
>>5880344
>>5880216

Tallied and Writing. May be a bit late tonight.

"We really are, I'm sorry." You say quietly.

She shakes her head and as she fully disperses she says:
"Nothing to be sorry for, Mark. Goodbye."

You watch as she goes and let yourself fall backwards. You softly collapse into the clouds behind you and let them envelope your body, the one good thing about Nia visiting your dreams is that it always left you completely lucid even after she left. You close your eyes and let yourself meld with the air around you get licks of the energy Shivers taps into: The Life Force of Gotham. But in this dream the voices don't rise above a whisper, it's a certain type of peace you can't get when you're awake.

You take the time to enjoy it.

You have no idea how long you've been lying here but something tugs at you, tells you it's time to go. You open your eyes and find yourself staring into the dim grey of your ceiling in the morning light. You take your time sitting up and stretching, you feel like you've had your first good nights sleep in over a week, you fish in your pockets for your phone and pull it out to see it's nearly 6AM. You curse to yourself, Nia put you in a deep sleep and you burned through most of the night, part of the downside to her powers. Getting up you rush to get dressed as fast as you can and head out the door. You aren't due until 7AM but the spare time will be perfect for you to find Agent Gideon before having to report in to Kimble and Grey.

The station seems to have run perfectly fine in your absence and you notice your desk seems to have been put back together at least. A few officers give you nods as they pass and Bunko gives you a pat on the shoulder.

"Good to have you back, DeLucia."

"Appreciate it, Bunko."

"Hope you, uh, worked out whatever lady problems you were having."

You laugh.
"I think I finally did, yeah."

He simply smiles and pats your back.
"Good to hear, buddy."

You see his eyes go slightly wide and he jerks a thumb over your shoulder. You turn and see Commander Reiner standing at the door of his office. He points to you and beckons you closer.

"looks like Reiner wants to see me." You mumble.

"Good luck with that." Bunko chuckles before walking off.

You head for the office as Reiner gets settled in his chair. You walk in and smell the scent of freshly printed paper, tall stacks line his desk.

"Go ahead and close the door." He tells you, fishing in his desk for something.

You listen to him and pull the door closed with a soft click.

Reiner withdraws a thin blue file from one of his drawers and sits back with it.

"This is your Blue Jacket." He tells you simply, he tosses it on the desk and nods at it. "Go ahead and open it up."

You pick up the file and flip it open, revealing a single sheet of paper, your own picture looks at you from the corner where it's paperclipped onto the sheet below. You scan the document and quickly realize it's a copy of the report that was made on you before your suspension.

"That is your first offense. The Blue Jacket is something we use for Rookies, typically we operate off a three strike rule. Easy enough to follow. But the Mayor has insisted you're a special case and that as a Meta-Officer you need to be held to a higher standard than our regular patrolmen."

You nod. Not really sure what to say but with a bubbling frustration towards Dent building.

"What's this mean for me, sir?"

Reiner leans forward and plants his elbows on the desk.
"What do you think of that, DeLucia? I'm giving you permission to speak freely here."

>"Speaking freely? This is a load of shit, I shouldn't be held to a different standard from other Officers. It's unfair."
>"Speaking Freely, I believe Mayor Dent has it out for me since I declined his offer of commendation ."
>"I think Mayor Dent is right, I think someone with my abilities and the authority invested by a badge should be under the microscope."
>"I have nothing to say, sir. If this is what the Mayor and my Commander say then I'll go along with it."
>Write-In

>>5880929
>"Speaking Freely, I believe Mayor Dent has it out for me since I declined his offer of commendation."
>"But if this is what the Mayor and my Commander say then I'll go along with it. That's what it means to be an officer of the law."

>>5880929
>"Well, he's right and wrong. I think it's the right move to put me under the microscope like this, but I don't think it should be just me - it's discriminatory action like this. The GCPD's had its fair share of corruption historically, so it'd be fair to say that every officer should be held to a higher standard. I realize that opinion would probably make me unpopular, though - nobody wants to work with people breathing down their necks...but how else can we prove to the citizens of Gotham that we're changing for the better?"

>>5880929
>"Speaking Freely, I believe Mayor Dent has it out for me since I declined his offer of commendation ."
>" But officially, I have nothing to say, sir. If this is what the Mayor and my Commander say then I'll go along with it."

>>5880929
>"I have nothing to say, sir. If this is what the Mayor and my Commander say then I'll go along with it."

>>5880929
>>5880935
+1

>>5880935
+1
Damn it Dent... truly a two-faced bastard. That's what we get for helping him not get burned and working hard left and right

>>5881018
+1
What the fuck does Dent even want from us? To sit around on a leash and make him look good?

>>5881138
>To sit around on a leash and make him look good?
He's a politician and Mark's a minority I mean "Metahuman", so yes.

>>5881018
+1

>>5880929
this>>5880935

>>5880935
>>5881094
>>5881096
>>5881486

"Speaking freely sir, I believe Mayor Dent may have it out for me ever since I declined his offer of commendation."

Reiner grunts in response.

"However, Sir." You continue. "If this is what the Mayor and my Commander say then I'll go along with it. That's what it means to be an officer."

Reiner grunts again, only this one feels mixed with a laugh.
"Easy, DeLucia. There's being a team player and then there's being a pushover." He leans back and folds his hands under his chin. "You declined an offer of commendation from Dent, the same commendation that Banks is receiving I'm assuming?"

You nod, mulling over his words. Are you really a pushover?

"I'm going to be frank with you, DeLucia. Dent and the Mayor's officer should be on their hands and knees taking turns kissing Kimble, Banks, and your asses." He taps the folder hard. "This is your blue jacket with the mayors office." He leans down and pulls up a new blue folder sliding it across to you. "This is your blue jacket with the department."

You pick up the folder and open it to reveal nothing.
"I don't understand, sir."

He shakes his head, sighing.
"I'm saying I don't give a shit if Dent comes in here in person. Nobody is going to tell me how to handle my officers, unless their name is Gordon."

You frown. Something about this feels wrong.
"Sir, are you sure this is the best idea?"

"I find it more palatable than bowing my head to Dent's unreasonable demands because of the 'chain of command' the he forced himself into. You want to be a cop, right? Dent doesn't want that for you. For one reason or another whether it's personal, political, or entirely business does it really matter?"

You swallow hard.
"Why are you doing this for me sir?"

Reiner smirks and sighs.
"I put all my chips on you, DeLucia. I staked my career on the fact that a meta-human could be an officer of the law and a damn good one. I'm all in on the fact that meta-human's have more options than fighting crime, committing it, or living their life in hiding." As he talks he gets a gleam to his eye, determination. "I believe you can rise through the ranks of this department and I'll be damned if I let political dramatics and impotent displays of influence stop this."

He catches himself as he gets to the end, clearing his throat and leaning forward to gather the two blue jackets.
"Can you sit with this, DeLucia? I'll be keeping my own file on you if you keep slipping up, unless it's serious then the mayor's office won't be hearing from me. But that microscope Dent wanted will still be on you, every report will cross my desk and I will hold you to a higher standard because I expect it from you after what I've seen and read from your incident reports."

>"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."
>"I can't sit with this sir, if it gets out that you're withholding details from City Hall we could both lose our jobs."
>"Why are you doing this for me, sir?"
>Write-In

>>5881638
>>"Why are you doing this for me, sir?"

>>5881715
He already just answered that, right? Or do you not buy his explanation up above?

>>5881638
>"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."

>>5881638
>"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."
Reiner seems based, but he's in this for his own ideals and justice when it comes to metas. Let's see if we can uphold that faith

>>5881638
>I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."
He already told us why he's doing it, even if it's the surface level and not the whole truth.

I really hope our efforts for catching the SIM Killer and our tip over Anarky helps, but SPECIALLY knowing who the fuck is the mole, we can't forget about that little detail

>>5881726
i think more hes not tell us imo

>>5881638
>>"Why are you doing this for me, sir?"

>>5881638
>>"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."

>>5881638
>"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down."
He's probably grooming us to be his successor. How old is Reiner, QM?

>>5881726
>>5881737
>>5881742
>>5881797

"I can sit with it, sir. I won't let you down." You give him a firm nod.

Reiner smiles and nods back.
"Then I believe we have nothing else to discuss, Officer."

He leans across the desk and piles up the jackets, tapping them on the desk, Reiner drops the files into a drawer and looks up at you with a raised eyebrow, you take the hint and head back to the main floor. Mingling with the smell of coffee and old leather, you make your way around the halls wandering until you finally catch a glimpse of Agent Gideon on a call at the front desk. He keeps old style handset phone close to his chest as he whispers.

You feel a chill run over your back, spreading like a wet splotch, and you can't shake the feeling of being watched. The closer you get to Gideon the more the feeling plinks at you like ice cold rain. You catch his eye and he turns, huddling even closer and whispering lower, before planting the handset firmly back into the cradle of the telephone.

"Officer DeLucia, tell Gordon to install phones from this year." He says as he goes to pass you by. You jog backwards a few steps and he sighs before stopping. You can't help but notice the bags beneath his eyes. "What?"

"I was just hoping to talk to you about something. Something private."

He looks at you sideways.
"You should look into therapy, I'm on a tight clock."

You hold out your cellphone, on the screen are photos you took of the case files Rogers had given you, his eyebrow raises but he maintains a cool expression.

"What's a rookie doing with redacted case files?"

"Helping a colleague with a cold case."

He shakes his head.
"Redacted to the point of removing the date means this case is more than cold, it's frozen solid."

"And what if someone had an ice pick?" You ask him.

"Meaning?"

You shrug.
"I handed you actionable intel on Anarky, you told me yourself how helpful that was."

"I did, and I once again thank you for your assistance."

"How about you thank me in a more tangible way."

"And bypass a redaction that was, most likely, put in place for a good reason?"

He takes your phone and his tired eyes slowly scan over the files. He scrolls through your pictures and for the next two or three minutes silently reads through everything. He sighs.

"Look. This case is old enough that nobody is gonna notice too much if I dig. But I can't look into all of it without getting someone on my back and I don't have the clout in office to pull all of it anyways. The best I can do for you is one specific file from that collection."

>"It'll have to do, get me all the info you can on the crime scene reports. Toxicology, CSI, all of it."
>"I understand, get me the unredacted CI Reports from Lauretta and her GCPD Handler."
>"Right, can you get your hands on the names of the GCPD officers associated with the case then?"
>"That's not good enough, Gideon. I need it all, if you can't get me that info then what about your boss?"
>Write-In

>>5881900
>"Right, can you get your hands on the names of the GCPD officers associated with the case then?"

>>5881900
>>"It'll have to do, get me all the info you can on the crime scene reports. Toxicology, CSI, all of it."

>>5881900
>>"I understand, get me the unredacted CI Reports from Lauretta and her GCPD Handler."

This is the best of both worlds in my opinion. It's a solid lead on her handler who we can talk to for more specific information in addition to giving us an unredacted file that we may be able to use our shivers on. All that without stressing our relationship with Agent Gideon too much.

>>5881926
+1 for wisdom

>>5881926
i agree+1

>>5881900
>>5881926
+1

>>5881900
>"I understand, get me the unredacted CI Reports from Lauretta and her GCPD Handler."

>>5881926
+1
God bless shivers, we're really ought to be a detective. Or a commissioner

>>5881900
>"I understand, get me the unredacted CI Reports from Lauretta and her GCPD Handler."

>>5881926
>>5881934
>>5881946
>>5881960
>>5882014
>>5881993
>>5882375

"I understand, can you get me the unredacted CI reports from Lauretta and her GCPD Handler? She was killed for being an informant which means there has to be a deeper record log kept by her handler."

Gideon nods.
"Sure, I can get my hands on that for you, especially since it's local. After I hand it over though you've burnt your favor with me. I can have it by the end of the day."

You extend a hand.
"See you then, Agent Gideon."

He shakes your hand and scoffs.
"If you ever get tired of writing tickets and dealing with teen thugs, maybe, consider going Federal. I think you'd fit in at ARGUS."

You release your grip and shake your head as you turn to head to the Detective's Offices.
"I'm more of a small picture kinda guy."

You make your way back through the station feeling a surge of confidence, things seem to be leaning in your favor for the first time, information is flooding in. You can't wait until the end of the week for your meeting with everyone else to see what they've scrounged up. Walking into the Situation Room for the SIM case that Grey set up, you see Kimble splayed out on a couch with his arm draped across his eyes, Grey sits in an office chair with his feet kicked up on the conference table.

"Mark." Grey says dropping his feet and sitting up straight. "Glad you decided to join us."

Kimble groans and sits up.
"You get suspended so long you forget your way around?" He asks while rubbing his eyes.

"No, sir. I got caught up speaking to Agent Gideon."

"About?"

You chuckle and settle on a half-truth for your new TO.
"He told me I would fit in at ARGUS."

Kimble looks you up and down before shaking his head.
"You'd look like you were going to high school prom if you wore a suit."

"What?" You ask him while looking down at yourself. "I would look good in a suit."

"You'd look like you just got out of mortician school." Grey chimes in.

Kimble sits up, a smile playing on his lips now.
"Yeah, DeLucia you're more of a 'Grease' type of Italian than a 'Godfather' type you know?"

"Okay, fuck you." You reply laughing.

"Enough, enough. Both of you sit down." Grey calls.

File: Pep_frown.gif (47 KB, 100x100)

47 KB GIF

>>5882429
>"Yeah, DeLucia you're more of a 'Grease' type of Italian than a 'Godfather' type you know?"

File: john-travolta-in-grease.jpg (83 KB, 547x699)

83 KB JPG

>>5882429
>"Yeah, DeLucia you're more of a 'Grease' type of Italian than a 'Godfather' type you know?"
I'll take that a compliment.

>>5882473
He is the one that we want. Oh baby.

You take your seats at the table and look over the familiar whiteboard.

"While you were kicking your feet up on vacation I've been working with Officer Kimble on some new leads."

"The info we got from the Rehab center was a dead end past a few profiling points. I'm working something new though." Kimble chimes in.

"Bertinelli. Pino Bertinelli." Grey says. Taking a glossy photograph and sticking it with a magnet. He pulls a few more and sets them out below, a few photographs of Pino visiting some locations.

"Pino has been on surveillance since you and Hawthorne brought him into the drunk tank. He's been visiting his local haunts, strip joints, bars, and slumhouses."

"The Holy Trinity." Kimble chimes in.

"Amen." Says Grey. "However this past week he's been heading into the The Bowery. Tails end up losing him when he gets out on foot."

"What's the last known?"

"The Iceburg Lounge."

You groan.
"Penguin's place?"

"That ain't the worst of it. He's also been at Maroni's place."

"The restaurant?"

Grey nods.
"And the Carmine Hotel."

"Jesus christ, it's a mafioso convention." Kimble says.

"As you can probably guess, there's reason to be interested in all of these places. But how does it connect to our case?"
He pulls one final photo and pins it.

A massive pale hand extends from a black tinted car window. Pino stands in frame sweaty and clearly nervous. The next picture shows him kissing the hand.
"Bertinelli's bend the knee." Kimble muses to himself. "This means we could be seeing an alliance."

"Or an extermination." You say quietly. A bad feeling brewing in your gut.

"What it means is that we need to get to work, any preference on where to start poking the wiseguys?"

>"Let's focus on Penguin, he's slippery but he's worked with GCPD before especially against rivals."
>"Chase down Maroni. Between him and Falcone he's the weak link."
>"Falcone is old blood, he has a sort of weird respect for the cops. We talk to him he's liable to give us something even if it's cryptic."
>"Maybe we focus on Pino? If he's being used as a messenger pigeon then maybe we can intercept a letter?"
>Write-In

>>5882501
>>"Chase down Maroni. Between him and Falcone he's the weak link."
All the guys at the top gotta know we have eyes on Pino at this point. We press him now, he's liable to get whacked.

>>5882501
>"Chase down Maroni. Between him and Falcone he's the weak link."

>>5882503
We could use huntress as an intermediary. She's a known killer, so if she lets a chase "go too long" maybe someone could have "called the police"

They wouldn't expect killer masks working with cops

Lets us pressure him with "being in custody too long"
Plus sim will probably be used to kill him if it comes down to it

>>5882501
>"Falcone is old blood, he has a sort of weird respect for the cops. We talk to him he's liable to give us something even if it's cryptic."

>>5882501
>>"Chase down Maroni. Between him and Falcone he's the weak link."

>>5882501
>"Chase down Maroni. Between him and Falcone he's the weak link."

>>5882501
>"Let's focus on Penguin, he's slippery but he's worked with GCPD before especially against rivals."

>>5882501
>>"Falcone is old blood, he has a sort of weird respect for the cops. We talk to him he's liable to give us something even if it's cryptic."
I enjoy uneasy standoffs between mafia and cops

>>5882501
>>"Falcone is old blood, he has a sort of weird respect for the cops. We talk to him he's liable to give us something even if it's cryptic."

Votes tallied, work is busy so the update will come a little later tonight.

File: SMaroni.jpg (18 KB, 259x173)

18 KB JPG

>>5882904
>>5882593
>>5882510
>>5882503

"Maroni, he's gotta be the weakest link right? He's been on the losing end of a feud for a while now."

"His beef with Falcone? That's a little before your time, it's simmered but it's more cold war than Vietnam now." Kimble chimes in.

"Regardless, DeLucia might be right, Maroni has been taking hits for years. It all started when he lost his best enforcer. Mook named Tony Zucco, we found him hogtied to a tight rope with both his arms broken."

"Jesus Christ, Falcone?" You ask.

"Batman." Kimble chimes in. "Gotham's own muscle."

"If it was years ago then the Vigilante Act wasn't in place, how'd we make anything stick?"

Grey laughs to himself almost ruefully.
"Second we cut the fella loose he spilled the beans on himself, implicated himself in a double murder from nearly five years prior. Killed two acrobats for some kind of insurance scam, on Maroni's behalf of course. Dent served him a life sentence."

"Dent? So this happened back when he was still a judge?"

Kimble nods.
"Before your time." He repeats before leaning up from his seat and giving Grey a glance. "I have experience with these types of guys, you okay letting me run point on this? At the very least I can debrief."

Grey gives him a wave and sits back to listen to him along with you.

"Alright. So the way I see it and from what we know Maroni has three pressure points we can leverage. The three things he's short on nowadays. Money, Respect, and Muscle."

You pull out your notepad, Kimble didn't have any gangland experience from your knowledge but nearly ten years on the streets had to give him some insight.

"We press on Money then it's an old school affair. We tell him that we're willing to turn a blind eye to some of his less savory businesses in exchange for intel. He gets a steady flow of cash for a bit and we get to learn something."

You scowl, the idea of letting a mob boss slide on his dirty business doesn't sit right with you.

"The other methods?" You ask politely.

"Respect, this is the most diplomatic option. We appeal to his pettiest feelings and try to get him to spill information just because it'll hurt his competition. Final option is Muscle, the most confrontational, we put even more pressure on him. We tell him he plays ball with us or we end up having more patrols around his businesses. Extortion at a state level essentially."

Grey leans back.
"Thoughts, DeLucia?"

>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."
>"I'm not a fan of giving people a free pass, but it's the most convincing way we could get his intel."
>"Muscle, Criminals should be worried about us dropping down on them. Reminding them that all it takes is a pooling of men to drive them out of business is the best tactic.
>Write-In

>>5885302
>>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."

>>5885302
>>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."

>>5885302
>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."

>>5885302
>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."
Years of pressure needs an outlet

>>5885302
>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."
With Shivers, we're good at finding special little strings to tug at to make a person unravel.

>>5885302
>"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we can rile him up he'll flip out of spite."

We’re good at that kind of thing, should be easy!

>>5885320
>>5885389
>>5885451
>>5885483
>>5885900
>>5885918

"I like the idea of pressing his pride, if we rile him up, he'll flip out of spite for Falcone."

Kimble nods.
"Sounds more appealing than giving him a hall pass or threatening him."

You nod in agreeance.
"Besides, Shivers makes me specially suited for this kind of thing."

Grey chimes in.
"Don't be so confident. Maroni is on his way out, a washed up mobster who got squashed by the competition, but he's lived his entire life as a made man. A guy like him is not going to give up anything easily."

"Omerta." Kimble says. "You never rat, even on a guy you hate. We're gonna need to make a real good case for him to flip anything over to us."

"What do we do if we can't get him to tell us anything?" You ask.

"We switch tactics." Kimble replies simply. "Feel the room and we either squeeze or look away."

You sigh. This could prove tricky and the worse case scenario is that this could be a dead-end if Maroni refuses to help. Kimble approaches his chair and grabs his duty belt from the arm re-clasping it.

"Get the Shop ready, Rookie. I got a craving for Italian."

"Good luck, if you need me reach out through my cell, Kimble. I have some other leads to look into." Grey says as he grabs his own jacket. He gives you the smallest of looks and nods. He and Hawthorne are working your personal leads while you work his professional ones. You get out of your seat and set off towards the motor pool.

Your shop is set up and prepped to head out in less than twenty minutes. Just as you chuck the last war bag in the trunk and drop it closed Kimble rounds the corner, a tan folder tucked under his arm. He heads for the passenger seat.

"You drive, rookie."

"Yes, sir."

You both climb in and take off. The initial first minutes of the ride are silent as he skims through the file under his arm, from your peripheral you see black and grey blobs of faces on the pages. Eventually he stops and pulls a picture from the file before closing it. The drive to Maroni's restaurant isn't a long one, your shop lingers a distance from the Italian joint, Kimble stares at the building with hard eyes.

"Looks slow." He muses to himself. He hands you the picture he had pulled earlier. Salvatore Maroni's mugshot. "Get a good look at him, that's our man. We wait here until we get a sign he's inside, if we spook them early he isn't coming near this place."

You nod and settle into your seat, fixing your eyes on the business, your fingertips tap the wheel until a side glance from Kimble makes you self conscious. You lean back and try to pass the time by..

>Focusing, stake-outs and observation are cornerstones of police work. Force yourself to just pay attention to the people coming and going.
>Chatting, Kimble seems to be a little rough this morning. maybe some small-talk will loosen him up. (Say/Ask What?)
>Meditation, Let the area around you speak through Shivers. Focusing on what the city sees.
>Write-In

>>5885964
>Meditation, Let the area around you speak through Shivers. Focusing on what the city sees.
Kimble can handle observation, we should leverage our own talents.

>>5885968
+1, though we should let him know what we're doing so he's aware in case things go wrong

>>5885968
>>5885971
+1

>>5885964
>Meditate
>Tell Kimble first

I wonder where his mugshot would take us, if we used shivers on it.
We really gotta nail down the mechanics of just seing things vs being pulled into a vision.

>>5885964
Stake-outs are a cornerstone of police work. Is there any way we can try to meditate with our eyes open? See what the city sees but make sure we don't get too lost? Keep the Shivers from bleeding over too much?
Also yeah, Let Kimble Know before we meditate.

>>5885964
>>Chatting, Kimble seems to be a little rough this morning. maybe some small-talk will loosen him up. (Say/Ask What?)
ask if hes okay and ask if he has some stories that he is willing to tell

>>5885981
Probably to the station that took the photos vs him.

>>5885968
>>5885971
>>5885977
>>5886037

"Kimble?"

He grunts in response.

"You got the front door I was gonna.."

He slowly turns to face you and you let your sentence grow quiet as he stares at you.
"I was going to see what...shivers could tell me."

"How long are you gonna rest on that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your abilities. I want to know if you ever plan on being independent."

"Sir?"

He sighs and turns himself in his seat, keeping the front door of the Maroni's in his peripheral vision.
"I heard you have your eyes set on being a detective, one day."

"One day, I know it's not something you can just do. You have to put in the work."

"Then put it in, Mark." He sighs before elaborating. "You have a jump start on a lot of guys in your position, your abilities basically take some parts of being a detective off your plate entirely if you use it right, like you have been."

"I still do plenty of the legwork myself." You defend yourself, part of you is hurt, does Kimble really think you coast by on your abilities?

"I know you do, but I've noticed more and more that you're investing your time into your ability. This whole "spirit walker" thing wasn't going on with Hawthorne, he wasn't getting chewed out because you walked around like a zombie nearly ruining a crime scene, and I think you have what it takes to be a damn fine detective one day. But you need to use your abilities as a foundation for the new things you're gonna pick up learning to be an officer, not as a main weapon."

"I don't. I have plenty of skills outside of my ability. I put time into practicing what you and Hawthorne teach me."

"I'm sure you do, but is it up to snuff with your abilities? Being a detective means a lot of things, you think you'll spend your entire career in Gotham? Multi-State Investigations, Federal Cooperation, these are things that would require you to leave Gotham and be outside the bubble Shivers gives you. You need to be able to take care of yourself when you're outside your element, or all it takes is one lucky asshole." His voice raises in volume as he speaks, it isn't until he finishes that he seems to catch himself. You watch his eyes go dull. A shiver runs down your neck, your eyes burn, and your throat seizes. You fight off the feelings and speak.

"Kimble? Are you okay?"

He takes a slow measured breath.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mark. I'm just a little tired is all."

"Seems a bit more than tired, sir."

He nods once or twice before shaking his head.
"I got some news about an old army buddy of mine, just a little pre-occupied. You're gonna be a good cop, DeLucia, I have no right lecturing you."

You sit in awkward silence, Kimble's eyes never leave the dashboard. Before you can speak Kimble rotates back to fully face the building, half his face hidden in shadow.
"Do your thing with Shivers, I'll keep an eye on the building."

You look at him for a few seconds, you feel that burning again.

>"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham."
>"Are you sure you're okay to work today, Kimble? Maroni is gonna be a balancing act, we need to be on our A-Game."
>"My entire life, Shivers was a curse, everyone told me to try and live by normal means, to act normal. But I'm not normal and Shivers, for the first time, is being more of an aid than a pain to me. So respectfully sir, I plan on mastering it as soon as I can and using it to help as many people as possible."
>"With all due respect, Sir. If you speak to me like that again I'll be requesting a new TO."
>Write-In

For after the last word:

>Give me 1d100
Middle of Three, due to some mental interference now.

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>5886155
>>"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham."
He DOES have a point.
Also he's clearly not on the ball right now. The more eyes here, the better.
Anyways, rolling...

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>5886156
>>"You may have a point, Daddy. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham."

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>5886156
We're gonna be proving him right with this shit roll

>>5886179
Locked in for your "shit roll" Anon lmao.

>Voting remains open until I pick up again, please continue voting on dialogue.

>>5886156
>"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham
Hes right
What if we walk into a rake while using shivers?

>>5886222
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nP-N_qVXdlU
This could be US!

>>5886156
>>"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham."

>>5886156
>"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deeply into my connection with Gotham."

>>5886164
>>5886177
>>5886179
Eesh, these rolls. Kimble was right, we need to shape up.

>>5886179
>>5886250
>>5886222
>>5886164
>>5886177

"You may have a point, Kimble. Maybe I need to shore up my fundamentals before I start going too deep on connecting with Gotham." You tell him thoughtfully. You never really considered if your use of Shivers was impacting your skill as a Police Officer.

Kimble sighs.
"I was being an asshole, don't listen to me."

"No, you do have a point. It's a short jump from tool to crutch, I'll do my best to work on it."

Kimble grunts in reply, a neutral grunt of acknowledgement. You get comfortable in your seat and get ready to let shivers run through you.

You close your eyes and try to conjure that feeling, the weightlessness of your dream state, the rushing vibration in your blood of all the people, and the electric pulsing energy of a city that never rests. You see fleeting images of faces, their names enter your mind but before you can grasp them they blow away like dead leaves in autumn wind. You're so close, in your mind you see a rushing current of red light, the sound like deafening raging water rapids. You feel that same charged current in the air, you're on the edge of taking in all of Gotham again...

But your mind slips. Your thoughts dance away and the fading sound of rushing water rings like the last goodbye of an old lover. You find yourself drifting in thought back towards Kimble's words and you're afraid. Afraid that perhaps he was right, that Nia was right, you shiver violently as for the first time Shivers begins to invert and look into you and not the city. Ancient insecurities and forgotten mistakes float to the surface like dead fish in a polluted lake. You panic and take control of yourself, exerting your will over Shivers, and to your surprise it works. You blink and you're out of the inky black soup of your mind and into bright burning sunlight.

You bounce in the passenger seat of a large truck, circles of cold sweat dotting your body are the only defense against the raging heat of the desert sun. Golden sand kicks up clouds of dust as you drive past. The old radio plays crackling music through equally old speakers, you give it a hard whack with your gloved hand and the music dies for a moment before returning with less static than before.

"Percussive maintenance at it's finest, sir." Says the driver with a smile, brown flecks of chewing tobacco stick to his teeth. You look him over and notice the name tag: 'Mandel'

You chuckle and lean forward grabbing an old soda bottle, you spit your own amber tobacco into the open top before settling it back to it's cup holder. You hear a crinkling from the back seat and spin around shouting.
"Who has food in my Humvee? You know the rule."

You look into the eyes of a young man, he holds a small foil pack in his ungloved hand, a pale pink hard candy sits in his palm extended out to you already. His name sits on his chest just behind the sweet. 'Guerrero'.

"I know, sir. Share with the class."

You pluck the candy from Guerrero's hand and pop it into your mouth. It clacks against your teeth and you sigh as you turn back to face forward.

"What the hell is this, G?" You ask him as your eyes scan the horizon.

"Charms, I got like six packs of em. Marines who came through base passed em off to me."

"I don't think anyone has bought these fucking things on purpose. You just find em in grandma's purse or MRE's. Just like those litte shits with the strawberry wrapper." Your driver chimes in.

You laugh, being careful not to swallow your treat. You shake your head and glance out the window to see something that makes your heart turn to ice. A lone shadow on a hill, over his shoulder a long slender weapon, an RPG.

"Fucking drive!" You scream as your hands scramble to lower your window and raise your rifle. You only hear a grunt of confusion from Mandel, you only see a cloud of smoke and sand from the hill, and you only feel your stomach go into freefall as the shot impacts the ground next to you and Mandel pulls the Humvee into the roadside ditch. As the roof rushes up to meet your head you close your eyes.

It's all silent, and dark, and cold. Sweat layered on your forehead and upperlip. You take a slow breath and peek open one eye only to find yourself looking at Maroni's place. You open both eyes and blink, your breathing unsteady and shallow. You glance over at Kimble and see him rubbing a thumb thoughtfully against his lower lip as he stares at the sidewalks around the building.

>Mention the vision to Kimble. (Say what?)
>Keep that to yourself, pay attention to the building.
>Write-In

>>5886164
>>5886177
>>5886179

ROLL: 49
DC: 50
RESULT: Near Success?

Hope you guys liked.

>>5886808
>Keep that to yourself, pay attention to the building.
I'm not about to tell him we fucked up AND invaded his privacy on accident.
Also
>Charms
>in the fucking humvee
GOD FUCKING DAMNIT GUERRERO YOU DOOMED US ALL

>>5886808
>Keep that to yourself, pay attention to the building.
I'm not sure exactly what it means or how to use it yet, anyway, so no point making a big deal out of it.

>>5886822
Oh, doi.

>>5886815
Thanks, I'm dense and forgot that our TO's emotional state could be interfering with our psychic signals.

>>5886808
>>Keep that to yourself, pay attention to the building.

>>5886826
>>5886822
>>5886815

You gulp down the ball of fear that was rising up your throat and let out a quiet breath. You softly swipe the sweat from your forehead and lean back into the seat, letting your heartbeat slowly settle.

Minutes pass in silence as you gather yourself and Kimble continues to stare emptily towards the entrance. The silence is broken by a low whistle from Kimble, your eyes lock onto the cause, a shiny black town car pulls up slowly to the curb. Kimble gets lower in his seat but you see his eyes now have a dangerous edge to them. You both watch intently as the driver of the vehicle climbs out and walks to the back, opening the door and stepping aside as a sharply dressed man steps out. Your eyes flicker down and even through he looks a few years older this is most definitely Salvatore Maroni.

"There's Sal." Kimble whispers.

You watch as the door is held and he's guided inside by a few men in expensive suits.

"He doesn't look like he's hurting all that much from Falcone." You observe.

"In his line of work the second you let the other guy know he wounded you, he goes for the kill. It's like a fucked up game of chess, rule one is to protect your king."

"Keeping up appearances, is that gonna make it harder for us to convince him you think? If he has to keep up this illusion of strength?"

Kimble shakes his head.
"If he thinks we can help him he's gonna listen to us, if you're losing the chess game you don't say no to free pawns on your side of the board."

"Pawns?"

"It's how he'll see us, personally I like to think of myself as more of a knight." He jokes as he opens the door, a slight bit of his normal self returning.

You open the door and hop out with him. As you both approach the building Kimble nudges you.

"Check the door."

You look ahead and see a skinny man at the door, a coat hangs loosely around his shoulders, besides the coat all his clothes sit cleanly with his figure.

"Gun?"

Kimble nods.
"Good eye, gangsters like their oversized pants to hide the nine in their belt, but mobsters have a little more class to em. Love their shoulder holsters."

"Think he's gonna give us any problems?"

"Not if he knows what's good for him." Kimble mumbles, his eyes keeping that razor sharp glint. As you both draw close the man at the door turns to face you both, his hands clasped at his waist.

"You take lead, I'm not really a people person, I'll play muscle." Kimble says to you.

You open your mouth to protest but you're already at the door.

"Officers, I'm very sorry but we're closed for lunch. We have an event going on, you can always come back for dinner." He smiles at you and a silver tooth glints at you.

Kimble glares at him from behind you as you decide to...
>Play it close to the vest. "We were hoping to speak to your boss, can you let him know the GCPD is out front."
>Wield your authority. "I'm here on police business, get out of my way or spend the night in a cell. Your call."
>Show your worth. "Your boss and I have business to discuss, something that could be mutually beneficial, you don't want to keep me from him."
>Bargain. "I've got a get out of jail free card with your name on it, let me in to talk to your boss and if you run into trouble you can call me."
>Write-In

>>5887020
>>Play it close to the vest. "We were hoping to speak to your boss, can you let him know the GCPD is out front."

>>5887021
>Play it close to the vest. "We were hoping to speak to your boss, can you let him know the GCPD is out front."

Nice work on the Shivers vision by the way.

>>5887021
>Play it close to the vest. "We were hoping to speak to your boss, can you let him know the GCPD is out front."

>>5887021
>>Show your worth. "Your boss and I have business to discuss, something that could be mutually beneficial, you don't want to keep me from him."

>>5887021
>Show your worth. "Your boss and I have business to discuss, something that could be mutually beneficial, you don't want to keep me from him."

Update is coming late tonight, apologies fellas.

>>5887673
Don't sweat it, QM.

>>5887040
>>5887067
>>5887239

"We were hoping to speak to your boss, can you let him know the GCPD is out front?"

The skinny man looks you up and down, his eyes flicker to Kimble.
"Sorry, Officer, Boss isn't in at the moment."

"Must have been a different sharp dressed Italian I saw get out of the car then."

His lips tighten and he folds his arms. Kimble speaks at once.
"Keep your hands where we can see em. We know Maroni is here. Tell him the cops need to chat with him."

"I'm telling you, he ain't here." He replies, spitting his words.

You decide to take a more dramatic approach, you shrug and hold out your hands. You tap Kimble on his shoulder.
"Nothing we can do about it, guess we should go offer it to Falcone."

Kimble shrugs back.
"At least Falcone's goons know better than to make a choice on their boss' behalf." He looks the man up and down. "You aren't gonna make it long in the game if you go around turning away your boss' friends."

You both turn in unison to leave.

"Hey hey hey, just wait a minute would you?"

Kimble gives you a side glance, he stops but doesn't turn around.
"The only voice we want to hear is Maroni's, so be a good doorman and get us a table for three."

You hold your breath as silence lingers, broken by a sigh and an Italian curse that reminds you of your grandmother. You hear the door open and finally you and Kimble turn around.

"Good work, DeLucia. Keep cool when we get inside, Maroni has a lot of experience dealing with cops. We just need to find out what all the heads are meeting for, or even better where it's going down."

You nod.
"I'm good."

"I know."

You're cut off by the door opening, a scrawny man with a waxed moustache and tuxedo, he bows deeply and extends an arm.
"Signore, il suo tavolo è pronto." He speaks in thick accented words.

Kimble shoots you a glance. You rack your brain for everything your grandparents tried to teach you.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure he's saying he has a table for us."

Kimble nods.
"Then let's get in there."

You both step past the mustachioed waiter, as you cross the threshold the air becomes thick with cigar smoke and the sweet sharp scent of frying garlic, to say the décor is outdated would be an understatement. Kimble's head remains still as you walk but you notice his eyes constantly scanning and as the door outside closes gently behind you it's hard not to notice his hand resting a few inches closer to his gun.

You let your hands brush along your waist, the heavy weight of your snub-nose giving you some comfort, you take a breath and let it our steady. You feel a shiver run over your spine, your knees hurt and your wrists burn, this restaurant has seen some dark things. You have no time to dwell on it as you both get led to a back room, covered by thick red curtain, Maroni sits at a table cutting into a breaded cutlet doused n red sauce.

"Gentleman." He says without looking up. "Please grab your seats, when I finish my meal we can discuss business."

The waiter from the door pulls two chairs. The skinny tall goon stands behind Maroni, his eyes focused entirely on the floor. Kimble remains standing.

"We won't be here long." He says.

Maroni groans as he puts another piece of chicken in his mouth.
"Mmm. It took the man ten years but Gigi has perfected Chicken Parm. So this is gonna take as long as I say it does, Officer." He wipes the corners of his mouth with a white cloth napkin. He finally looks up, his eyes are a deep grey green. "So sit the fuck down until I finish my meal, cause there's nothing worse than a plate of cold food."

Kimble looks to you, his chin sliding side to side as he grinds his teeth.

Please vote for both:
>Take a seat? (yes or no)

Say:
>"Take all the time you need, Mr.Maroni. After all, it's not our territory being taken while we enjoy a hot lunch."
>"Talking business on an empty stomach is never good, why don't you get us some as well and we can talk about how Falcone is bending you over on your own turf?"
>"Show a little respect, Maroni, one phone call and this place is swarming with uniforms."
>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."
>Write-In

>>5887891
>Take a seat? (yes or no)
Y
>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."
Showing that we respect him is important, to maintaining his narrative, the least thing we want to do is make him get defensive before we have even broached the topic.

>>5887893
+1

>>5887891
>Yes
>"Talking business on an empty stomach is never good, why don't you get us some as well and we can talk about how Falcone is bending you over on your own turf?"

>>5887941
Couldn't they poison the food? As much as the food must be good here, I don't want to die for it

>>5887965
That's a fair point. But would they risk two officers suddenly disappearing?

>>5887891
>Take a seat
>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."

As much as I want to try that chicken parm, Kimble is ready to explode and I don’t think serving him Mob Chicken will help things.

>>5887891
>Yes
>>"Talking business on an empty stomach is never good, why don't you get us some as well and we can talk about how Falcone is bending you over on your own turf?"
No way in hell Mark would turn down free Italian cuisine.

>>5887891
>Take a seat? (yes or no)
No, until our food arrives.
>"Talking business on an empty stomach is never good, why don't you get us some as well and we can talk about how Falcone is bending you over on your own turf? So take all the time you need, Mr.Maroni. After all, it's not our territory being taken while we enjoy a hot lunch."
Then stare him down and eat slowly.

Random thought but Mark is Italian and from Gotham. Old Gotham too, I assume. Does he have family on the Other Side? I can't remember if we wondered about this.

>>5887891
>(yes
>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."
But ask if we can have a glass of water. See if he's going to be polite when we are. It's the little things that speak the loudest. Tell us if you'll play ball, Mr. Mobster.

>>5888151
+1

>>5888151
supporting

>>5887891
>Yes, take a seat

>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."

>>5888139
support
feels like a response for when we already used shivers

>>5887891
>yes
>"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait."

Bend over:
>>5887941
>>5888096
>>5888139
>>5888433

Take your time:
>>5887893
>>5887915
>>5888004
>>5888151
>>5888169
>>5888224
>>5888248
>>5888541

Writing.

>>5888684
Make sure you include the glass of water!

You step in front of the seat and sit down, Kimble shoots you a glance but gives a subtle nod before moving behind you.

"Of course, Mr.Maroni. Take your time with your dinner, my partner and I can wait." You give him your best Roger's over-enthusiastic smile and hold it.

He continues to scrape sauce from his plate and pile it atop his chicken, pale yellow noodles peek out from the rich red sauce and you notice more and more Maroni breaking eye contact with his food to glance up at you. When he does you make sure to maintain eye contact and give him a friendly encouraging nod. It isn't long before he sighs and drops his silverware with a clatter, wiping his face and tossing it on his plate.

"Val, take this shit away, I'm not hungry anymore." He says shaking his head. He reaches into his pants pocket and you hear a metallic click behind you as Kimble pops the button on his holster strap. Maroni slowly brings up a pack of cigarettes and a silver lighter.

"My partner is just cautious, Mr.Maroni, I'm sure you can appreciate that."

Maroni puts a cigarette in his mouth and lights it with a flick of his thumb.
"I appreciate a lot, but the police busting in on a nice lunch. What's the occasion?"

"A proposition, a helping hand." You say, teasing out any reaction you can get.

"I'm not hiring at the moment, I got enough piggies on payroll."

Your neck hair bristles at the comment, but he didn't dismiss you. He wants to hear you out.
"Well none of them are helping you hold your territory it seems, every day Falcone or someone in a mask is taking your revenue away." You glance and watch as Maroni only takes a silent drag, his eyes boring holes into you. You have his attention.

"Maroni, we came here to talk business about something big going down." Kimble chimes in. "My partner here thinks it could be worthwhile to work with you, but I don't see it. You're washed up even by Mobster standards.

You hold up a hand, good cop silences bad cop, and lean forward.
"Forgive him, he has a problem with watching what he says sometimes. My family is old country, Maroni, I know how much respect matters to you."

"Then you know what happens to snitches."

You hold up your hands.
"Nobody is asking you to snitch, there won't be a file or record on this if there doesn't have to be. Pino Bertinelli is giving all the old bosses of Gotham mail. We can hazard a guess that this is a sit down, right?"

Maroni glares at you through a thin cloud of cigarette smoke.

Kimble chimes in again.
"He probably doesn't even know he got his letter last, poor fella barely made the cut."

You turn now and shoot a sharp gaze at Kimble, you give him the smallest motion with your eyes. He nods and walks off.

"What the fuck is the idea? You come into my own business and harass me? Insult me?" Maroni stubs out his cigarette. He's emotional now, you have him where you want him. Now to prod.

"Could I get a glass of water before that? All this talking is leaving my throat dry." You ask, buying time to craft your next move.

He glares and slides over an untouched glass from his side of the table, a small stained coffee cup sits next to it. You take the glass and offer a thanks quietly, letting him stew in his own anger. As you set the glass down you sigh and proceed to tell him...

>"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora. They treat you as a third string thug. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what you feel now."
>"My partner doesn't get it. But I do, you and I come from the same culture, which is why I know that you know it's in your best interest to tell me where I can find Falcone and Mandragora."
>"Enough subtlety, your on the losing end of a long war and I'm on a hunt for a real psycho. You tell me where to get to your rivals and they end up away for you to do as you please, in return I get to get closer to catching a child killer."
>Write-In

>>5888737
>>"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora. They treat you as a third string thug. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what you feel now."
He doesn't need to know about SIM and playing the Italian card might be too obvious. Let's keep playing on his emotions now that he's riled up. Hopefully he ends up making a decision without thinking about it first.

>>5888730
>>"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora. They treat you as a third string thug. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what you feel now."

>>5888737
>"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora. They treat you as a third string thug. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what you feel now."

>>5888743
Agreed. Sound logic.

>>5888743
>"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora. They treat you as a third string thug. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what you feel now."

>>5888743
>>5888745
>>5888772
>>5888857

You smack your lips and sigh.
"The real insult you're suffering is from Falcone and Mandragora." You start, leaning back in the seat and letting your casual attitude further fan his flames. "They treat you like a third string thug, only sending you the location of a meet after THEY talked it over. Why protect them? Give me some info and they can feel what it's like to be the one in the dark."

Maroni thinks it over, his eyes scanning the table, you see him battling with his criminal code of morality. Kimble grunts and taps your shoulder with the back of his hand.
"I told you, he doesn't know shit, Falcone and Mandragora left him in the dark on purpose. He's washed, let's go talk to Falcone."

You take his hint, you give Maroni a crooked frown and shrug, you start to rise from your seat when his voice rolls over the silk tablecloth like thunder on a horizon.

"Sit the fuck back down."

You freeze and look back to Kimble, he gives a nearly imperceptible nod, you slowly lower yourself back into the seat.
"What's the word?" You ask quietly.

Maroni leans on his elbows, sighing as he digs another cigarette out of his pack, he speaks barely above a whisper.
"Falcone and Moby Dick are looking to have a sit down. From what I've heard it's regarding an alliance."

"More like a corporate takeover." Kimble says, further fueling Maroni's anger.

"That's what I was fucking thinking, part of me wanted to go to that meet with five men and a line of tommy guns." He notices your expression and leans back blowing a stream of pale smoke. "Of course that's just a little fantasy, blowing off steam. What's real though is the fact they're pulling that waddling Figlio di puttana, The Penguin, into our thing."

"What are a bunch of mob heads doing meeting someone like Cobblepot? Figured you guys weren't too fond of the people with funny names and costumes."

He waves a hand, the smoke chasing it.
"As far as those types go he and Black Mask are the only ones who still concern themselves with business instead of bank robberies and fighting the Batman."

"So Mandragora is trying to bridge your factions, under him I'm guessing."

Maroni flicks from under his chin, sending ash scattering on the white tablecloth.
"He calls himself a liason, but I know that fat fuck doesn't do shit unless he thinks he can come out on top. Falcone wouldn't know his ass from his glasses either, so I doubt he's savvy to what this is."

"But you are, if you give us the place this meet is happening you can pull the rug out from under Mandragora's feet instead of him treating you like a fool."

He shakes his head.
"Nah, I don't show and they all get arrested then it's pretty obvious. I told you all I'm willing, you officers should be heading out."

"Unless." Kimble chimes in, finally taking a seat next to you. "Unless you do show, and when we start putting people in bracelets you're the last one in line."

You raise your own eyebrow but hold your tongue.

"Meaning?" Maroni asks, snubbing the cigarette in the stained coffee mug.

"Meaning that's a lot of people to handcuff, a lot of people to cart away, and who's to say when it's your turn to get taken out we don't forget to Mirandize you?"

You suppress a frown, this seems like Kimble is taking it down the route of 'tit for tat' and you aren't too happy about it.

Maroni however smiles a greasy crooked smile, the smile of a business man looking at a deal. A shiver runs down your neck, somewhere in Gotham a spindly man rotates the top layer of a multicolored cube. He rotates it slowly and sees all the sides a solid uniform color. He smiles the same smile.

>Interject, this wasn't the plan, "However maybe it would be better if you weren't there. Flex on Falcone and let him know YOU sent us."
>Cough warningly, let Kimble know you don't approve of his audible, maybe he'll switch things up.
>"Exactly right, Mr.Maroni, we both get what we want this way."
>Write-In

Apologies for the delay, I post from a mobile signal so sometimes I just get screwed and get a banned IP Range.

>>5888902
>"That would be right, but if someone hears one made it, who's to say the rest won't figure it out"
>"A safe gamble is still a gamble.".

>>5888902
>"Exactly right, Mr.Maroni, we both get what we want this way."

We can have a wtf moment later in the car, but when an opportunity to pack away this much scum comes around we should take it.

>>5888902
>>5888935
+1

>>5888902
>"That would be right, but if someone hears one made it, who's to say the rest won't figure it out"
>"A safe gamble is still a gamble.".
Hes got to know we aren’t serving it like a silver platter. Him even knowing that we are gonna bust that sitdown like jeffrey epstein in a grade school is a big advantage

>>5888935
supporting

File: cobblepot numbah one.png (425 KB, 510x554)

425 KB PNG

>>5888898
>most Batman rogues are more like terrorists or thrill-seekers than organized criminals
Checks out. Penguin is such a lowkey great villain as the "only sane man" in that madhouse, though.

>>5888902
+1 to >>5888935, I'm not sure collaboration to enrich a criminal is strictly above-board, but I don't want to undermine Kimble with all he's doing for us, and especially given his shit day he's having. Could damage our working relationship. Plus, this meeting ITSELF isn't necessarily 'above-board', and that's before you get into our extracurriculars with Q and Huntress.

>>5888935
support

>>5888935
>>5888902
+1

>>5888935
+1

>>5888935
>>5888969
>>5889102
>>5889035
>>5889325
>>5889459
>>5891272
>>5888979

Unanimous decision. Writing.

>>5891810
Except THIS guy >>5888962 lol

>>5891827
He's doing his best

You lean forward, speaking in a hushed tone.
"That would be right, but if someone hears a guy made it without being charged, who's to say the rest won't figure it out?"

Kimble gives you a hard stare, he speaks out of the side of his mouth to Maroni.
"Sure, but it's a safe bet that nobody is going to suspect anything of you."

"A safe bet is still gambling." You reply.

You maintain eye contact with Kimble, giving him back just as much as he's sending you, Maroni, in your peripheral, rubs his palms together in contemplation. You and Kimble break eye contact and turn towards him.

"Just hand us the letter, and we'll handle Falcone and the others." Kimble says. He extends a hand. "If you don't want to catch a minor charge then don't be there, it seems my partner is intent on making this look as legit as possible."

Maroni sighs.
"I hate this motherfucker." He whispers to himself, fishing in his jacket pocket, he pulls out a thin envelope. "I'll be there, but if it's anything more than a slap on the wrist Officer then we may have some problems." He says menacingly.

"Excuse me?" Kimble says leaning forward.

"You heard me. Kimble." He spits his name after glancing over his name tag. "Anything goes." He extends the envelope.

Kimble gives you a glance and snatches the paper from Maroni's fingers.

"Let's fucking go." He says to you, standing up, his chair letting out a screech as it goes backwards.

Maroni looks at you and flicks his fingers.
"Ciao."

You give him a nod and stand up to follow Kimble out. The dark interior of the restaurant giving way to blinding sunlight as you step outside into the bright grey atmosphere of Gotham again. Kimble walks ahead of you, tapping the envelope on his palm anxiously, he stands at the passenger door of your shop and stares into the distance.

>"What the hell, Kimble? I thought we were going to press his pride and not make a deal with him."
>"What did he mean by 'We would have problems'?"
>"Kimble, what happened in there?"
>"Hope this letter turns out to be worth helping Maroni terrorize civilians more freely without competition."
>Write-In

>>5891836
OP check this out
https://nitter.privacydev.net/V_of_Europe/status/1745777312086339912

>>5891836
>"Kimble, what happened in there?"

>>5891841
>"Kimble, what happened in there?"
>"I thought we were going to press his pride and not make a deal with him."

>>5891836
Just caught up with this on sup/tg/, lot more engaging than what I had first assumed. Good job, QM.
>"Kimble, what happened in there?"

Any chance of a Section Eight April Fools mission?

>>5891836
Woops, this (>>5891870) was linked to the wrong post.

>>5891836
this>>5891870

>>5891870
>>5891881
>>5891871
>>5891844

"Kimble, what happened in there?"

He sighs and and pops the envelopes flap, pulling the folded paper from within.
"He was about to fall off the hook, so I had to step in."

You shake your head in disbelief.
"Kimble, I had him thinking. We were going to press his pride not make a deal with him."

"We were gonna do what we had to so we could find this meeting." He says, emphasizing his point with a wriggle of the paper. His eyes shift down to it as he reads. "Looks like it's going town at the Tobacconists' Club. Shit."

"Shit? Why shit."

"That place is a strip club officially, unofficially it's the goddamn Gotham Boys Club for Pricks. We've run raids before but the place has to have some sort of escape hatch because out of the four raids that place has had not one has brought anything substantial. The most we usually get is a few girls who are here from overseas without papers."

You rub your temple and sigh.
"So we just promised to let Maroni slide, and in return we know this meeting is taking place somewhere people just vanish from?" You sigh and mumble to yourself "Fuck."

Kimble's face softens as he frowns at the letter, eventually stuffing it into his pocket.
"Fucking Maroni. Fucking Falcone. Fucking...fuck!" His final exclamation is punctuated with a firm kick to the wheel of your shop.

"Kimble." You say lightly. Keeping your negative feelings from your voice. "You're usually calm and collected, whatever has you off kilter today you gotta put it on the back burner." He looks at you with tired eyes. "Or at least talk about it." You state.

"Get in the car." He says, his voice almost hollow. You feel that wave hit you again, your throat stings as you hop into the driver's seat. You look to Kimble but he shakes his head just motioning for you to drive.

You keep silent and get going, aimlessly rolling down dim Gotham roads.

You drive on in silence for near fifteen minutes before Kimble turns his head to you, clearing his throat before speaking.

"I got news about a guy, a kid, from my old unit."

The vision flashes in your mind, the cool air from your AC vents turn to a warm stream, you focus on the present and push the vision back.

"What happened, sir?"

He shakes his head.
"He died." Kimble states flatly.

You feel your mouth go dry and the palms of your hands feel slick against the wheel.
"Was he sick?" You ask, gently probing.

"In a way." Kimble replies, a bitter look in his eye. You feel your heart begin to slam and thunder in your chest. "When we were out there." He motions vaguely with his arm. "We ended up taking contact on the road, RPGs, Full auto AK's, the whole nine yards."

From behind the thin glass windshield your heartbeat becomes the pounding rhythm of gunfire, simultaneously far and near. You hold your tongue, letting Kimble unravel this story at his own pace.

"We flipped the damn car, fucking asshole missed us by a few feet but still hit close enough to send us into a ditch, I wake up after slamming my head into the roof." He chuckles without smiling. "Fucking helmet did it's job I guess."

"Your friend?"

"Two of em actually." Kimble says. "I had just gotten my promotion, our old Squad lead got sent up the chain so it was my job to take his place, we were heading back to base from our first mission out. Mandy, uh Mandel, was at the wheel when we got hit. When I woke up he was in the same position I was but.." He pauses, his eyes shine with a sheet of tears, "But he didn't make the wreck. It was just me and Guerrero, he hit comms and the two of us settled in for the next hour trading pot shots with the fuck who fired at us."

"He didn't fire anymore rockets?"

Kimble shrugs.
"Maybe he only had the one, or maybe he just didn't want to waste it on two guys who were as good as dead anyways. It didn't matter anyways, after we radio'd in the cavalry was coming so we just held on with Mandel right fucking there."

"Jesus." You whisper.

He nods.
"Fucked up Guerrero. Bad. I had to lay into him to get him to return fire, I was." He pauses again a catch in his throat. "I was harsh. I pushed him when he was far past broke, but I had too. Help was forty-five out at the least."

"At least?"

"Command didn't want to send more units into a trap, they had to wait for aerial to clear it before they'd come up. It doesn't matter anyways, we made it. Both of us were taken in for shrink checks, G didn't make it through his and ended up being sent home."

"And you?"

"I finished up my contract and got the fuck out. Any plans I had for promotions or any of that shit went out the window after that. I couldn't do it anymore, I didn't start getting decent nights sleep until I joined up with GCPD actually. Hawthorne and the others I came up under, they taught me a ton. They taught me shit I could have used if I wasn't so wrapped up in my own shit.

You give him a quizzical look and he answers it with a sigh.

"Guerrero and I stayed in contact after he left, but he never could let it go even a little, even after three years whenever he and I talked he would bring it up and I'd be there again. You know? Looking at Mandel, screaming at G to fucking shoot something." He shakes his head and a tear comes free, he swipes it away disdainfully with his thumb. "I couldn't do it anymore, Mark. I couldn't keep talking to him about it, not when I started feeling better finally."

"So you stopped talking?"

"Nah, we still talked. But it was less and less every month. Until eventually he was just asking me out to bars, out to a dinner, or something. I would always tell him work was too crazy." He looks up to you, his eyes looking deep and tired. "I was scared to be around him, I thought it would undo all the progress I made. So I just never went out. Eventually he stopped asking."

"So when you say he died?"

He nods.
"Yeah." He says grimly. "His sister found him, after their mom I was her first call."

You pull off to the side of the road and put the shop in park. You both sit in silence for a few seconds.

>"Do you know why?"
>"It's not your fault, Sir. You can do a lot for people but you can't make them want to get better."
>"For someone to get to that point, a chat at a bar wasn't going to make a difference, you can't blame yourself."
>"I understand why you've been off today, you won't hear anything else from me about it."
>Write-In (Recommended, I'd like to see what you guys come up with)


>>5891871
Appreciate it, Anon. Pretty sure I saw you in QTG asking about the quest. Glad to see you're enjoying it so far.

>>5891995
>>"I understand why you've been off today, you won't hear anything else from me about it."
>>Write-In: "Seen profesional help yet? I'm afraid I cannot do much more than being a listening ear."

>>5892008
supporting

>>5892008
+1; there isn't much we can do but be there

>>5891830
I just posted before looking at the responses. Write-in anon had a way better answer desu.

>>5892008
Supporting

>>5891995
>>"I understand why you've been off today, you won't hear anything else from me about it."
>>Write-In: "Seen profesional help yet? I'm afraid I cannot do much more than being a listening ear."

>>5891995
>"I understand why you've been off today, you won't hear anything else from me about it."
>Write-In: "Seen profesional help yet? I'm afraid I cannot do much more than being a listening ear."
>”You want to talk to Hawthorne about it later, or will this remain in here? He’s your mentor too.”

>>5892008
>>5892011
>>5892016
>>5892084
>>5892110
>>5892234

You weigh your words thoughtfully, knowing this is beyond your skill-set in the end.
"I understand why you've been off today, don't worry about hearing anything else about it from me. Have you seen anyone professional to talk about it? I can't offer much more than a listening ear."

"I've done the therapy stuff before, I'll be alright. Just need some time to myself to deal with this stuff." He leans back and sighs. "Being someone who will listen is good enough for me, Mark. Appreciate it."

You give him a nod and pull back onto the road.

"You ever consider talking to Hawthorne about this? He's the understanding type, he also trained you up didn't he?"

"He did, but he and I never really got on like that. It was more of a Student Master Rivalry thing." He laughs as his eyes drift off into a memory. "We had a week where I had to bring in as many perps as I could solo, he made a prediction and put it in an envelope and said if he was off by anymore than 1 I'd be the winner."

"What was the bet for?"

"I wanted to drive the shop."

You laugh.
"I get to drive it now."

He waves a hand.
"The old man is soft now, needs to be pampered and chauffeured around." He chuckles and slowly lets his face rest on a smile. He doesn't say it but you feel the thanks regardless.

"I'm thinking about taking the day off to drive up to see his family. Could you handle the day alone, the letter has a date for the meet so I can drop it with Gray at the station."

"I think I can manage."

"Good shit, drop us off and I'll sign out for the day and get the letter to Gray. He can put it into evidence when he's done looking it over."

"You might be waiting a while before he's back."

Kimble shrugs.
"Then I'll wait, I'm pretty good at it."

You head back to the station and park up the shop out front. Kimble extends a fist as he gets out. You tap it and he gives you a small nod. Another silent thanks. With him gone you end up sitting in the car thinking about what to do next...

>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.
>Head out to meet with Gray and Hawthorne, see if they need any help on their investigation into Roger's relative.
>Get in contact with Banks, see if he's up for anything today.
>Take the day to just drive around answering some calls, try to be a normal police officer even for a few hours.
>Write-In

>>5892745
>>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.

>>5892745
>>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.

>>5892745
>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever
Confront the Batman
Face the dark knight head on

>>5892745
>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.

Batman has already picked out a nice shady spot that he can jump out at us from when we walk inside.

>>5892745
>>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.

>>5892745
>>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.
Has anyone ever lit up the meeting area with batman very brightly with one spot of complete darkness to see if he spawns from it

>>5892745
>>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.
Slim-to-none chances, but take our Superman patch along, just in case he's making a quick visit to Gotham. He'd probably get a kick out of how we got it and sign it.

>>5892745
>Head to your meeting outside town, Nia never gave you a time so if you had to guess you can probably just show up whenever.
We can be a "normal" cop after we settle all this abnormal shit.
Haha, as if... This is Gotham, after all.

>>5893171
Chances are there is a TV there streaming from another town that was purchased from another town for a videocall.

Bats might be paranoid enough to worry his costume is enough to trigger shivers.

>>5893240
I'm just saying if we're talking into a radio that is broadcasting onto a TV that went through a satellite phone I'm voting to dip straight outta there. Ain't nobody got time for that hullabaloo

>>5892747
>>5892910
>>5892911
>>5892964
>>5893000
>>5893040
>>5893117
>>5893171

Locked in, update will come in a little bit.

You glide through the streets of Gotham, your head filled with thoughts of what could be coming at this meeting, a face to face with the actual Batman. Nia's words echo in your head, her offers to join the League or be an asset, you can't help but wonder if this meeting is just a more forward recruiting attempt. Batman's history with the GCPD started long before you even graduated, his career and Gordon's rising entwined together, whether he was a wanted man or an unofficial police aid The Batman was always working to help Gothamites, but his work wasn't without collateral damage like civilian vehicles, property, and the cause for greatest debate: Does Batman create more problems than he solves?

The "Hero Question" as it was called in the media. Does the mere presence of heroes invite the problem of villains? It was a question asked in your Criminal Justice classes and the class was near evenly split. Before you can think back more on the debate you feel a shiver run over your body, a cold spreading sensation almost like a gentle vacuum sucking the air around you. You look around and spot it just as you pass it: Now Leaving: Gotham City.

You feel almost naked, a discomfort grows in your gut as you feel the connection to the city strain to maintain with you before it drifts away to near silence. The rumble of the road brings to attention the total silence in The Shop, you lean forward and flick the radio on letting some music fill the vacuum left by Shivers absence.

The roads leaving Gotham are empty, it's strange the city grows and shrinks but you don't recall ever seeing the comings and goings of new or former residents, the land surrounding Gotham leaves you feeling lonely in a strange way. It isn't too much longer before you pull your cruiser into the gravel parking lot of an weathered wooden building, a long dead neon sign sits lopsided on it's roof.

'Old Teller'

You open the door and step out staring at the building, it's windows looking down on you like pools of pure darkness, a ripple of uncertainty rolls up your arm.

>Step inside, brazenly. If the Batman wishes to speak to you then you will show no fear.
>Step inside, cautiously. Have your hand on your weapon. Batman is a vigilante after all.
>Stay outside, Call out. If he wants to meet you he can face you in the daylight.
>Stay outside, stay silent. Put those practical skills Kimble mentioned to use. Examine the building and see if you spot anything off.
>Write-In

File: 1664845208033987.jpg (169 KB, 800x450)

169 KB JPG

>>5893915
>The "Hero Question" as it was called in the media. Does the mere presence of heroes invite the problem of villains?
Only if you're not the Flash. All his repeat offenders tend to just be petty crooks and nuisances rather than mass murdering psychopaths. Well, except for one.

>Stay outside, stay silent. Put those practical skills Kimble mentioned to use. Examine the building and see if you spot anything off.
I don't want to get jumped or caught on a tripwire or something. It's a fun exercise to imagine all the ways something might pop up at you when entering a building. Also nice to know where fire exits are.

>>5893915
>>Stay outside, stay silent. Put those practical skills Kimble mentioned to use. Examine the building and see if you spot anything off.
Practice makes perfect. If we wanna make Detective someday, we should be able to do so without Shivers.

>>5893915
>Stay outside, stay silent. Put those practical skills Kimble mentioned to use. Examine the building and see if you spot anything off.

>>5893919
>Hero Question
Any hero whose rogues' gallery includes a lot of mad scientists, fluke mutations, or space-conquerors can be exempted as well, since their threats exist and emerge independent of them and aren't fixated upon them. Well... Most aren't. Looking at you, Cyborg Superman.

>>5893915
>>Stay outside, stay silent. Put those practical skills Kimble mentioned to use. Examine the building and see if you spot anything off.

It's Nia and it's Batman. We're probably 'safe'. That said, we're angling to be a detective. Lets try doing some detecting BEFORE we go in anyway.

We're already certain of the level of paranoia behind the meeting. Could always joke a donut shop would've been easier to get to.

File: ShaBatman.jpg (39 KB, 564x722)

39 KB JPG

>>5893960
>>5893925
>>5893921
>>5893919

You let your eyes wander the building, starting from the outer edges inwards. You take in the frayed splintered edges of the roof tiles and the dark shade in the center of some boards where rot spreads.

You shift your eyes downwards to the old sign, it only glows now with the reflection of what little sunlight can break through the clouds, the layers of dirt clearly visible on the dark tubes. The front porch area lies in shambles, old chairs and tables lay in pieces with patches of mold growing on them from the abuse of the elements, maybe some bored teens ventured out of the city and put these rock shaped holes in the windows as well.

Finally you examine your surrounding area starting with the large gravel lot surrounding the bar, it brings an idea to your head and you slowly meander over the gravel testing lightly with your foot and pulling away revealing an indent. You gaze over the area and spot it, a single line from the main road to behind the bar, a single thin tire most likely from some sort of motorcycle. You follow the trail around back and gaze over the rear of the building, a rusty metal door chained shut with equally old chains and padlock keep the back door shut but what really interests you is a pair of old storm cellar doors where the line disappears. You approach slowly and lean down to pull them open only to find they are sealed shut. You check for locks or other blockages but you find none, all you find is that the hinges stand out to you as the only piece of metal on this entrance that shine instead of chip away with rust. Odd.

You head back around the front thinking about what this means, why such an old place would have any sort of improvement to it, your pondering is interrupted by a jolt to your heart as you round the corner and look to the shadowy front door only to see a tall, bulky, figure with piercing white eyes. The same dim glow from the whites of Nightwing's mask, even through the surprise of the moment your brain fires off a question. Could they be collaborating?

"Come inside." He speaks to you, his voice even and deep. He turns and with his face hidden he almost melts into the shadow of the bar interior completely. You check your snub nose and take a breath before walking into the bar after him..

"Interesting place to meet." You nervously say as you step into the choking dust of the old road house. "Donut shop could have been easier to get to."

His only response is icy silence as he keeps ahead of you, the thing that unsettles you the most is how eerily quiet he is even when stepping on half dead creaking wood planks you have to strain your ears hear his footfall. You clear your throat, the dust and awkwardness getting to you slightly, he lingers around the bar letting a hand rest on the bar top.
"I want to apologize." He begins

You raise your eyebrows.
"For?"

"The method that I got in touch, Dreamer told me everything."

"So I was right, you really were the one behind it."

He turns and faces you, mostly obscured by shadow with the edges of his shape bleeding into the surrounding darkness.
"Anarky. You passed information to ARGUS."

"And they passed it to you?" You ask surprised.

"They held it for me." He answers simply. "You were smart, listening to Agent Gideon. Amanda Waller is not someone you'd want to work under."

"What? Have you been spying on me?"

"I make it my business to know what happens in my city."

You grit your teeth.
"For a guy who thinks he owns the city I sure haven't seen much of you in it, Nightwing has spent more time giving a helping hand than our own 'Dark Knight' has. Though judging by the fact you both have the same tech in your masks, maybe that's been on purpose."

He turns to face you fully now, what little of his face that shows is stoic and cold, the dim white light of his eyes narrow.
"Observant." He remarks.

"If I didn't know better I'd say that was a note of warning in your voice."

He shows no reaction, a figure of stone and shadow.
"My absence from Gotham is part of the reason I wanted to meet you, face to face."

He begins to step towards you, slowly, his feet now dropping like stones onto the floor.
"What do you mean by that?" You ask him, stepping back slightly.

"Relax, Officer." He tells you, his voice softer but still firm. He slowly closes the gap until only feet separate you both. He looks you up and down and you see the whites of his mask take on a slight blue color. "Elevated heart rate." He remarks.

"Because you're weirding me out." You clarify.

He grunts.
"Are you feeling anything?"

"Besides weirded out? Not really."

"Your abilities, they really are tied to Gotham."

"I could have just told you that." You reply frustrated, finally breaking free from the strange stupor of meeting such an odd figure. "What the hell am I doing out here? You manipulate my ex girlfriend to call for me, I come out and you start, what, trying to intimidate me? I know what your game is."

"Tell me then, what do you know?" He asks, his air is challenging but not aggressive. Almost a playful competitiveness if not for his grim expression.

>"Here's what I've deduced so far on just this place alone..." (Let me do the line connecting for you guys, explaining the deductions Mark has made. This will be limited to events from tonight's updates.)
>"I don't think so, you asked me out here with something in mind and I'm not playing games with you until you get to it."
>"I know you want me to join your superhero club, I can be a Justice Leaguer and forget all about the people I pledged an oath too so I can focus on the 'bigger picture' Nia told me about."
>Write-In (Flex your detective skills anon, what deductions, assumptions, or baseless accusations can you make with everything you've seen so far? Doesn't have to be limited to this meeting either. If you wish to spill everything from the SIM Killer to the GCPD Mole then feel free.)

I hope this makes sense, what Option 1 and Option Write-In mean, if anyone is a little hazy on it please feel free to ask and I can answer in more direct speak.

>>5894043
the only clue i have is nightwing being there but not batman but that is nonspesific enough that the mayor can be batman

>>5894054
Do we really want to try to go for the Bruce=Bats reveal right here, or leave him to his shadows?

>>5894040
are you worried about me deducting your secret identity or something why are you so worried about your identity but not nightwing or any random telepath or wizard with that touching past reading spells like those gypsies

>>5894055
nah its just the obvious worry he would have

>>5894043
>Write-In (Flex your detective skills anon, what deductions, assumptions, or baseless accusations can you make with everything you've seen so far? Doesn't have to be limited to this meeting either. If you wish to spill everything from the SIM Killer to the GCPD Mole then feel free.)

Does his voice remind us of anyone we have met? If Batman was / is using a Vocal modulator would lead to a similar though wider pool of identities as either someone we could identify due to having met them, or otherwise being notable in the media or otherwise "on-air" often enough for that to be a concern.

Further "his" build and color of his ?stubble? / body hair also shrinks the pool significantly.


Outside implications on his identity, there isn't much we can tell bats, maybe ask if he knows whats up with "magical escape route(s)" from the Tobacconists' Club.

>>5894064
Ask and you shall receive. From your observations Mark would list Batman as.

Male
Caucasian
Between 6'2 and 6'3
200-210 maybe 220 at max? Hard to tell.
Clean Shaven

As far as the voice there is no obvious distortion that would indicate his voice is being altered by a device, nor does the voice sound similar to anyone you have spoken with before. His build is hard to discern from the dark environment and his outfit breaking up his figure quite effectively.

If anyone else has specific questions please ask.

(Also side note, this is less of a "I know who you are" moment and more of a "I'm more observant than you think." type of move.)

>>5894067
He'd also know from previous files and stories: A man very used to being in control, has either big connections or big money to be using the tech he uses.

Also very skilled with CQC, especially if he can walk into mobs of goons and take them down, mostly alone. Most of the other capes that appear in Gotham usually have a theme centered around him.

And one final thing, Batman refrains from killing, but not maiming.

Though these might be things any gothamite knows.

>>5894067
I'd still see it as beneficial, as it would likely prompt a reaction. Also we are trying to make ?Detective? so, stray thoughts can be useful. On top of remembering to use all our senses.

Whatever surveillance method(s) is / are being employed will probably adjust, or intensify. Both have their pros and cons. Especially if we fuck up somewhere and attract major heat, beyond what Huntress and / or Question could handle.

>>5894043
Yeah, I know why we're here.
>>Write-In
>You don't know the full capabilities of my shivers and you feel threatened that I would be able to INSTANTLY ping your position/identity if you ever go out streaking in your costume in the city premises. That's why nightwing is active in Gotham instead of you. You called me here, out of the city so I can't learn who you are, or other important secrets. You called me here to secure my silence.

>>5894086
+1

>>5894043
>You don't know the full capabilities of my shivers and you feel threatened that I would be able to INSTANTLY ping your position/identity if you ever go out streaking in your costume in the city premises. That's why nightwing is active in Gotham instead of you. You called me here, out of the city so I can't learn who you are, or other important secrets. You called me here to secure my silence.
Batman can’t really batman depending on his relationship and attitude towards gcpd.
It makes sense to approach us like this due to paranoia

>>5894086
+1

Out of character though, we stood right next to Bruce Wayne and Shivers didn’t tell us shit. Gotham wants to keep him hidden as well, it would seem.

>>5894043
this
>>5894086
With a side of
>You must also be extremely famous if you think even a hint of your identity
>Combined with how much money is obviously needed to fund your outfit and the obvious renovations outback, nice touch by the way, you need to add something notable to it so people aren't weirded out by the unmoveable door with unnecessary padlocks on it.
>The only person of note who can both afford, and has been trying to speak to cops regularly about what's going on recently besides Dent, the Feds, and my various cape contacts was....Bruce Wayne
>That's you I presume. Your as paranoid as the Question you know that?

>>5894134
But that's what detective reasoning is for, for when Shivers fails us on purpose.

>>5894159
>hint of your identity would be relevant*