Jim was almost back at the station when a call came in for him. It was Harper. He'd ordinarily try not to take a call in the midst of driving, but with everything that was going on, he didn't think anyone would mind. "Gordon."
"Hi," came Harper's voice. "We've tracked down the vehicle that Jerome Valeska was last seen entering. It scooted down Advent Street and ended up in Welling Avenue. Traffic cameras spot it being stationery for over a day. Also, last seen locations for Tetch and Crane also place them loitering around that area. You might want to go down there and check it out."
"Great." The lead sounded solid enough. "What about..."
"The identity of the three men who broke into Arkham?" Harper finished Gordon's sentence.
"Yeah."
"We were only able to identify one. Miller and Smith are already on it."
"Ah. Call a swat team if needed. I tend to think any of those three will be hard to capture," Gordon instructed, reflecting on what he'd witnessed of the Talons.
"Got it."
"What about Harvey's phone?"
"We can only trace where its last signal was coming from before it was turned off. And that is a new property by Sionis' Design House. According to my records, it hasn't even finished construction."
"Fine, can I have the address?"
"Sure. Just give me a..."
A loud banging and sounds of muffled yelling erupted from where Harper was.
"Harper, what's going on?"
"Seems like..." she said after a while, audibly panting from what Gordon could only assume was the result of her running around the station. "A large group of people in circus gear, trying to get into the station. Alvarez has sealed the doors."
"Jerome followers?" he deduced.
"Could be," she replied. "A man is standing in the front. I think it's their leader. He's shouting something about wanting the identity of the man who broke Jerome out of Arkham."
Jim was taken aback by their request. All the while he'd assumed that Valeska, Tetch or Crane might've somehow been responsible for the breakout, but if Jerome's followers were at the station, demanding the identity of the men who'd broken their leader out, perhaps the two incidents were purely coincidental. Except... when does anything coincidental ever happen in Gotham?
"I'm coming back to handle this," he said, keeping his ride on route to the station. Originally he'd planned to check out Welling, but it'd just have to wait. "Sit tight and don't let them in."
"Copy that sir."
Jim noted the massive crowd, and made a turn to the alleyway behind the station. There were just too many of them clustering the front to approach - what with the crazy hair-dos, painted faces, and spiked jackets, they didn't exactly appear to be civilized, reasonable people either.
He wasn't sure what they'd do to him if he'd to walk up to the crowd, so he entered the station instead through the backdoor. The cops within were up in arms, nervously watching the front door as it vibrated with each thump. The crowd outside had gotten hold of a heavy item and had been using it as a makeshift battering ram. They'd still have to make it through the steel bars that lay just behind those heavy doors, but the crowd didn't know, nor did they care.
Jim found Harper, crossing the split level with a stack of notes in her arms. "Harper, can you hand me a loud hailer?"
She nodded quickly, picked one up from a nearby shelf and tossed it to him. He caught it nimbly and smiled at her. "Thanks."
Then walking to the front door, he turned the hailer on and spoke into it. "This is Detective James Gordon. I've heard your request, and am here to address it. But only if you back away from the main door." The thudding stopped. Several muffled shouts were heard from outside. Gordon couldn't make head or tail of it. "I'd like you to pick one representative for me to speak to. He or she will be allowed into the station. The rest will remain outside. This is the only way you'll be getting the information you want. We're not negotiating otherwise."
Again he heard a commotion outside. An administrative staff at the station handed him a ring of keys that would allow him to open both the gate and the door. He went ahead to open both, and widened the outer door just enough for him to peer out. The crowd watched him stoically, a man with green hair and painted tears on his face a whole few steps in front of the others. Jim looked at him. "Are you the representative?"
"Yeah," he replied. "My name's Donny."
"Fine, get in."
Donny entered and the doors and gates were shut behind him. "Whoa..." gasped Donny the moment he entered. "The lair of the coppers."
Jim cleared his throat. "So, what's this about Jerome wanting the name of one of the three men who broke him out of Arkham?"
"Daas what he said man," replied Donny. "'Raid the G.C.P.D and pull the security tapes from the Arkham break so ya can find the dude who broke into my cell.' We were plannin' on raiding this place, but it's much easier if you juz giveet to us."
Donny was the type of scum Jim regularly put away into cell blocks. With him unarmed and all alone, Jim found it incredibly tempting just to lock him up for whatever damage they'd inflicted on the front of the station. But there was something much larger at stake, and oddly enough, it sounded like Jerome was trying to figure out the same thing. Jim wondered if perhaps the maniac could be put to good use. Turning to the other cops, he asked, "Can someone get me the name of the perp connected to the Arkham break?"
"You aren't caving in already?" asked one of the cops in clear disappointment. "People can't just come in and demand stuff."
"I know that," Jim replied. "Consider this a special case. Trust me." Donny grinned, rather pleased with his skills of persuasion. The cops did as he asked, and handed him the name and address of the Talon, which he then handed it to Donny, together with his cellphone. "I'm sure Jerome will want to know the name and address as soon as possible, and he'll want to know the name of the brave follower who managed to get it for him. Why don't you use my phone to call him and let him know right away?"
Initially Donny hesitated. "I don't think Jerome has a phone... but Meryl does, and Meryl's with him."
"Right," coaxed Gordon. "Call Meryl then."
Donny set to work, dialing in Meryl's number. She picked up on the other end, and he gave her all the information, with a hand cradling his mouth at the receiver - as though that would prevent the fifty cops surrounding him, from hearing a thing. When all had been done, he handed the phone back to Gordon, and Gordon escorted him back outside.
"What about Miller and Smith?" asked the cop who'd questioned him.
Jim kept his eye on the crowd as Donny spoke to them, most likely relating what he'd accomplished in the station, and to get Jerome's followers to go back to wherever they'd come from. "Call them off," said Jim, handing the cop his phone. The same one that Donny had used. "Track the location of where that last call went to, and get Miller and Smith to follow behind Jerome. I'd like to see how all these parties fit into the whole picture. Also, get people down to Welling Avenue to look for the location of a stolen car. Once found, search the area for traces of Tetch and Crane."
"On it," replied the cop. He was starting to understand Gordon's plan to outsmart the inmates, and it made him a lot more confident to carry out Gordon's orders.
"Well look at you..." Gordon turned around. Harper was standing right behind him, a large smile on her face, "You're delegating. Perhaps the first signs of a future commissionership?"
"Nah," he replied, bashfully. "I think I've been taking too much on myself, and haven't been effective at all. Perhaps this way, we'll finally get something done."
She nodded. "I agree. And if you'll let me help you, I'll take someone and look for Bullock while you stay here and organize the troops."
"Harper, you don't have to..." he began, but she cut him off.
"Trust me, I want to. I've had enough of sitting in the station, staring at computer screens. It's your turn now."
He laughed, knowing that as much as he loved being a part of the action, since Barnes' incarceration, the G.C.P.D was badly lacking a commander and a strategist. Harvey, with all his great intentions, wasn't exactly the best delegator or planner - and with him gone from the scene, the rest of the force was basically directionless. If Jim wasn't going to step in, no one would.
"Fine, I'll stay here and take phone calls," he replied with a pout.
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