Chapter 23

[1st POV]

I arrive in the ambulance.

I actually managed to get hit while crossing the stairway to the first floor.

One of the gangs jumped out from under the stairs and opened fire with a machine gun.

I got injured, two officers were killed, and three more were wounded, but we took that bastard down.

However, my injury wasn't that serious.

They bandaged my arm, stitched up the wound, and handed me a couple of pills.

That was the extent of my treatment with regeneration helps me a lot.

"Officer Dinklage?"

A cheerful man in a grey suit addressed me. He was slightly taller than me, with a smile, dark blond hair, and brown eyes.

"Yes, that's me. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"Oh! Sorry, I should have introduced myself right away. I've recently entered Gotham's 'big circles,'"

He said, extending his hand for a handshake.

"My name is Harvey Dent. I'm the new district attorney of Gotham, replacing Miss Smith. I believe you were close with her?"

"We were. But now she's gone."

"Well, I don't want to pry into that, but duty calls and I need to ask you a few questions."

"Does the district attorney normally question police officers after operations? What's the case?"

"This is more my initiative than an official order. It concerns a certain 'villain'..."

He gestured air quotes with his fingers, "Poison Ivy. She's free now, in case you haven't heard. I'd like to speak with her. Of course, I understand you've only just survived from an explosion. Still, I'm hoping you might help me with the conversation."

"And what exactly do you want to ask her?"

"The matter pertains to an incident that happened at Belle Reve five years ago. She isn't a suspect, just a witness. I would very much like to speak with her."

Harvey handed me his business card.

"I hope you can help me get in touch with her. But for now, I won't keep you from the important process of getting well."

"Thank you for understanding."

I nodded, watching as the future "Two-Face" walked away.

So, Harvey Dent's time has come?

I can't quite recall when he's supposed to become Two-Face.

From what I remember from films and certain comics, he remained somewhat devoted to justice even as an antihero.

He's twisted, but justice nonetheless. He took on vengeance, killing, and other extremes but still seemed to grasp honor.

Then again, reason and Gotham don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

Therefore, there's a chance to sway him toward the "good" side, even if that absurd incident with his face disfigurement does happen.

In any case, I'm curious myself—where's Poison Ivy now? I'll start with Gordon just in case he has any info.

For now, I need to head home and get some rest.

Arthur mentioned that Gordon politely ordered me to go home and recover my wounds, given that my injuries weren't all that serious.

They might have sent me to the hospital, but those are invaded as it is, and technically, I'm a "dead man" to the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, Jim Gordon will play the part of my "lawyer" with the bureaucrats and make some calls to get me "revived" in the system sooner.

After all, they can't assign real work to a "corpse" because that would break the law themselves.

I had a good laugh at that.

Gotham and legality…

Afterwards, I ended up going home after all.

Actually, Arthur gave me a lift.

He also asked me to his daughter's birthday party on the way as I somehow managed to become a "hero" in her eyes. 

It's probably due to my reputation as a "movie theater hero," but I can't shake the idea that he may have hidden motives or a secret message to pass on.

With two other colleagues in the back seat, my paranoia started acting up.

[+1 Intuition]

Interesting—the system supported my paranoia.

There must be something more to this.

A surprise was waiting for me when I got home.

The absence of one very sassy and adorable cat and all her things were missing too.

Just to be safe, I checked my stash and any valuable items. Luckily, everything was still there, so it seems she just… vanished.

There's also a breeze coming from the room with the broken window.

I guess I'll need to pick up a replacement by the store, but for now… sleep.

I collapsed onto the couch and was almost immediately knocked out but I didn't get to sleep for long.

Suddenly, Batman decided to "quietly" sneak into my home.

I sensed him when he was on the balcony.

That's when I woke up.

I even thought about reaching for my gun, but I caught a glimpse of a "dark knight" in the mirror's reflection.

I didn't react—just lay there on my back, relaxed, waiting for him to come closer.

"Tea, coffee, or something stronger?"

"Thank you. But I don't want anything."

He replied, standing beside me.

"Take a seat."

I gestured toward the chair next to me.

"Thank you. But I'll stand."

"Your vocabulary is a bit limited, Bats."

He stayed silent, and it lasted for a couple of minutes until I finally broke it myself.

"Am I so charming that you decided to come and admire me?"

I smiled, turning to him, "Sorry, but I'm straight. This won't work between us."

"I'll manage."

He replied, completely unfazed, "How did you survive?"

"So... you have nothing better to do than worry about my well-being and how I made it out alive?"

Silence.

Batman's stare was unsettling.

It looks like I'd have to tell him, or he'd never let it go.

Clearly, the info he got from swiping my statements from the feds wasn't enough.

There are no surprises there.

"Alright, fine. After the explosion, I woke up in Themyscira. The locals—Amazon warriors weren't exactly welcoming. They wanted to execute me. However, I managed to negotiate an honor duel with their champion and barely won. They actually respected me for it. The queen of feminists granted me the right to build a raft and get myself off their island as soon as possible. I gotta say, Bats, they're quite the model—might be worth a visit to blow off some steam. Your grim, gothic aura is honestly a bit much, and I'm starting to worry about your intense focus on me."

Suddenly, a message flashed:

[+100 relationship with Nightwing/Richard "Dick" Grayson-Wayne.]

So, I could feel it—one of the Bat-family members was lurking on a nearby rooftop.

I looked again at the expressionless lower half of Batman's face and decided to check him with my "Observation":

Name: Bruce Wayne/Batman

Level: ???

Class: ???

Feature: Superhero, ???

Alright.

It's either I hadn't advanced enough on my own path of self-improvement, or he wasn't far off from the demigoddesses of Themyscira.

Even as a kid, I'd doubted he was fully human.

"Bats! Why all the interest in me? Be honest."

"This city needs you."

"This city needs a good therapist. I'm just a cop."

"In the future, you'll understand."

"Alright, one more question, then."

Silence.

"Where's Pamela?"

"Why are you so attached to her? You're immune to her pheromones and why not ask me about Smith?"

"I'll handle Katherine without your interference. But as for Poison Ivy, very few people know her whereabouts, and you're one of them. And yes, I'm attached to her. I believe that with the right support, she could choose a more peaceful path. The news I heard today only confirms that."

The silence again.

I can't stand that quiet, and it's not like he's dumb.

Knowing Bats, I'd bet he's processing everything as quickly as a supercomputer.

"An abandoned flower shop, 'Summer Garden.' In South, on the edge of 9th Street. There are many abandoned buildings after the recent events."

"Thanks."

"Welcome back to Gotham and try not to die here."

He threw that at me, and in a matter of seconds, he vanished quite stealthily.

I genuinely hadn't noticed when he slipped away.

He might have relaxed his vigilance when he entered, or he might have let me sense him.

He might have been testing myself.

I still have a long way to go before I can match up to Bats. I just need to collect those five measly points and unlock that chakra.

...

The next day, I called the precinct to ask whether I should return to work.

Arthur told me I had two days to "get my affairs in order," after which I'd have some heavy lifting to do.

Without much thought, I headed to the store for some new glass and installed it at home.

After that, I set out to find Pamela.

Batman hadn't lied about the abandonment of South Gotham. It looked as if a hurricane had passed through.

That might be why Ivy chose this spot to hide—she couldn't just disappear here.

I found the abandoned shop quite quickly.

As soon as I stepped inside, I knew it was the right place.

It's because I was almost immediately ensnared by vines that carried me through a hole in the floor downward.

A few seconds of movement later, I found myself in the basement that was full of plants.

However, I should call this place a basement greenhouse instead. It was big, about the same size as my apartment, and covered in foliage.

In the far corner, there was a workbench with a computer and a couple of tables with beakers filled with who-knows-what.

Pamela was in the middle of the basement, wearing a white medical coat and smiling at me.

"Pam...m-m-m."

I didn't get a chance to finish before my lips were captured in a mesmerizing kiss, "...m-m-m. Ah! I missed you too, dear. It's been two months since we last saw each other. Ouch! What was that for?"

I started rubbing the spot where she slapped me.

"For that woman you've been sleeping with lately. Don't forget... pheromones."

She frowned.

"Wait, but the last time was..."

"There's still a trace left and it's quite strong. It seems she wasn't an ordinary human."

"You'd make a great tracker."

I complained.

"Where have you been? Specifically."

"Themyscira, does that say something to you?"

"What?"

Poison Ivy knew how to be surprised.

"And you survived? How?"

"I walked, fell into the water, and while enjoying myself there, I met the princess of the Amazons. I accused her of harassment, and a conflict of interest happened. Her admirer, who also happened to be the champion of Themyscira in all kinds of competitions and fights, decided to teach me a lesson. On top of that, the Queen supported it and arranged for us to fight in the Arena to the death. However, don't give me that scared look. I didn't kill anyone there, and I'm not a ghost, as you see. I managed to win thanks to luck and my skills, and I earned their respect."

"And why do I get the feeling that one of those individuals became your lover?"

She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, not a lover, but rather a matter of romantic interest. By the way, I was conducting a charity event in Themyscira."

"What kind of charity event?"

Pamela was surprised and nearly fainted from shock.

"I helped to naturalize some of the Amazons. It turns out, lesbianism thrives very actively there. Even Princess Diana and my dear Artemis were having their fun together. So I was doing a good deed there. Ouch! What was that for?"

"I'm bi!"

She pouted even more.

"What do you mean you're bi?"

"I'm a bisexual."

"Oh! Unexpected…"

Although I was lying, I knew about this side of Pamela.

It seems she and Harley had been getting into it together, "…but sweet. And who was your last victim?"

"I don't have victims in that sense. It's all consensual."

Pamela proudly declared.

"This is like now, with you and me. I'm here willingly, still in the embrace of your tentacles, and not your own?"

I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Sorry."

The tentacles released me.

"And what are tentacles?"

"Finally, I get to tell you about anime and manga. By the way, tell me the latest news. I've heard some things from my colleagues and Batman, but I'm also interested in your side."

"Alright, let's go to my desk, I'll also show you my latest developments. I think you'll like them."

She said with a sly smile.

"Wonderful, let's go, dear."

To be continued…

...

A/N: PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO DROP SOME POWER STONES...