It was another morning that was neither warm nor bright. Gordon set down his sixth cup of coffee and rubbed his eyes hard. When he opened them again, they were so red they looked ready to bleed.
There was a knock at the door. Nightwing entered in full gear. Gordon took another sip of coffee and said, "You look like hell, like you haven't slept in days. What is it this time?"
"Protests over pollution have broken out in District X15. Batgirl picked up traces of criminal activity from Arkham Asylum. The preliminary suspects are Bane or Killer Croc."
"Have you investigated?"
"Not yet." Nightwing frowned deeply. "That's exactly what I came to talk to you about. GTO has been behind on salaries for over a month. What are you planning to do?"
"Stopping protests isn't within your jurisdiction." Gordon shook his head. "If a supervillain shows up, deal with them then. Stop lecturing everyone else. That's all."
Standing in the doorway, Nightwing slammed his fist against the door. "I'm not lecturing you. I'm stating a fact! The city is getting better. Why don't we press our advantage?"
"Because none of this is as simple as you think." Gordon sighed softly. "Batman protected you too well, so you've always had trouble seeing the deeper roots of these problems. If you want to investigate and stop supervillains on your own, I won't stop you. The equipment you're wearing is worth at least fifty thousand dollars. But I need to find a way out for people who aren't that wealthy."
"You're always compromising," Nightwing said. "Giving in to this person today and that person tomorrow. You can even be talked around by the Joker."
"Please don't forget that the GTO you're currently in was founded by the person you call the Joker.