Chapter 18

"I've seen the map." Gordon sat across from Kathryn Monroe, who, aside from her complaints of being manhandled, had not betrayed any other emotion on her face. "I know the Court has secret locations across the city. We've been to one of them - with walls up to ten inches thick, and with enough food and water to last someone up to seventy days underground, it's safe to say that the Court is anticipating some kind of major blast in the near future. The question is what kind of a blast are we talking about?"

"What blast?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

He stood up and walked around the table, and sat by her. "What has Bruce Wayne have to do with all of this? Why did you kidnap him?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied smugly.

"They're not all powerful you know. The Court, they can't keep you safe. Besides, what are the members going to think when they see their leader behind bars?"

Kathryn smirked at him. "You think I'm the leader? All this time, and you really don't know anything, do you?"

"Who is it then?" Jim was losing his patience, the woman was just toying with him. "Who controls the Court of Owls?"

She lifted her wrist and read off her pearl encrusted watch. "Keep it up, Detective. I'd say you have approximately fifteen... maybe thirty minutes, just to be generous."

Jim rolled his eyes at her, just as a knock came on the door. It was Harvey. "Sorry to interrupt but the butler's getting testy. I think if we continue to keep him out, he might sock an officer in the eye."

"Ah..." said Jim, using the opportunity to direct his voice towards Kathryn. "Bruce Wayne's butler. The one trained with the SAS, and has some kind of a medal with the British government for the highest number of kills of his squad. That butler."

Kathryn straightened up and appeared to be a little concerned. Harvey quickly picked up on Gordon's lead, and kept up the bluff. "Oh oh... he is dead set on getting back at the people responsible for kidnapping his ward, and inserting a clone to take his place. Just wait till he gets his hands on..." Harvey pretended to just notice Kathryn then. "Oh - isn't that you?"

She glared at Jim in unbelief. "You wouldn't dare! That'd be a violation of civilian rights."

"You said you were expecting someone to come and save you in... fifteen minutes, was it?" Jim asked rhetorically, then turned back to Harvey. "Let him in then, let's make it quick."

"What?!" Kathryn stood up, completely alarmed. "That's preposterous! Lay a finger on me and I'll sue you both to high heavens."

"Hey Jim," said Bullock, grinning from ear to ear. "If Ms Monroe is held by the GCPD under the terrorism act, doesn't that nullify her civilian rights?"

"Oh yeah," Jim replied, resting his hands on his hips. "Thank you for the reminder, Harvey! It seems we'll be having more than fifteen minutes after all."

"Terrorism act?" Kathryn's face was all scrunched up in rage. "You have nothing! You can't hold me based on such false accusations when you are without a shred of proof."

"Oh I'd beg to differ, we do have something," noted Jim, pulling out an envelope that he'd snuck off her property while he was still under cover. He watched her face go pale as he pulled the letter out of the envelope and read it out loud. "Note to the League - The safe-houses are stocked, and the riders are ready to go. Do bear in mind that whatever is left of Gotham after the 'event', will automatically default to the ownership of the members of the Court, or in the case of any of their deaths, to Kathryn Monroe. As stipulated in the prior agreement, you are to play your role, after which will take a step back so the rest of us can take over all remaining property and businesses. The moment that we have secured our hold on all of the above, we will convene for a final time to conclude the terms of our agreement." Jim studied her expression carefully. "So perhaps now you'd like to share with us what is this 'event' that you've referred to in your letter." When she hesitated, he continued. "You could really save yourself a lot of pain." Harvey nodded in agreement.

"You're bluffing..." she said after a while, looking nervously between Harvey and Jim.

Jim shrugged. "Ok send in the butler."

"Be glad to." Harvey shut the door, temporarily leaving Jim and Kathryn alone in the room.

"You're mad!" she exclaimed. "What kind of a corrupt organiza..."

"Actually, I think I can guess what this is about," Jim replied. "The Court is losing the control they once had over the city. The old leaders have passed on, or gone into hiding. The newer generation of underworld leaders don't respect the Court like their elders once did. They play by their own rules, casually bypassing all the gates you'd set up to profit from their transactions and influence them in your favor, leaving the idea of a secret Court; soon to be redundant. This scares all of you to the bone. So you're planning a reset... of sorts. You'd huddle like cowards inside underground bunkers while the city above gets blown to smithereens."

She kept completely solemn till his final line, and a smile began to form on her face. "Let's just say for argument's sake that you're right about us. You'd really think we'd be that sloppy in our execution of said plan?"

Jim leaned back in his chair as he considered the clue that she'd slipped to him, whether by accident or not. "So it isn't a bomb?"

She merely shrugged.

The door flew open then, and Alfred was right in front of Kathryn in the blink of an eye, his hands wrapped around her throat. "You damn chippie! Where did you take my boy?" Kathryn gagged as he shook her around.

"Alfred," Jim said after a while. "I don't think she can breathe."

"Oh," and Alfred released her. She clutched her sore neck as she glared at her attacker in scorn. "Well?"

"He's fine," she declared. "He'll be back soon."

"Where the bloody hell is Bruce?"

She looked at him levelly. "If I were to tell you where he is right now, I'll be dead in no time for opening my mouth, you'll be dead for listening," she motioned towards Jim. "And he'll be dead just for being in attendance."

"Who are these people that you're working for?"

"The League," Jim filled in from what he'd seen in that letter. "Who are they?"

She shook her head. "You already know too much. I'd advise that you not play with fire. Even though I'm no friend of yours, I'll say that I do sincerely mean it."

Alfred and Jim exchanged curious looks. "Wait - how does Bruce Wayne play into this entire picture?" asked Jim.

She settled back in her chair. "Let's just say - he's special."

"What do you mean?"

"He'll be playing a pivotal role in what is to come."

"We're back to this..." sighed Jim in frustration. "What is to come?"

Gunshots blasted through the air just outside that room. Gordon opened the door to check on the station. He was surprised to find smoke. An increasing amount of it that grew only as it moved through the hallway.

He coughed as he shut the door, confused as to what had just occurred.

"Well, better late than never," said Kathryn, presenting the cuffs around her wrists to Gordon as though he had expressed an intent to remove them. "That's my transport. You really should un-cuff me before he slices his way through you in order to get to me."