Lead-gray clouds hung low over Gotham, weighing on every officer's heart. There was no rain, but a damp chill filled the air.
A convoy of more than a dozen police cars gathered outside the low stone wall of Falcone Manor. The desolate orchard stood silent, the wind slipping soundlessly past bare branches like countless hands reaching desperately toward the sky.
Li Jie pushed open the car door and stepped onto the cold, hard ground. He looked up at the mansion. Above its dark red tiled roof, a lone thread of smoke curled from the chimney before the wind scattered it into the boundless gray. Clutching automatic weapons, members of the Falcone Family stood like stubborn rocks in the shadows, silently holding positions on the porch, behind the orchard trees, and at windows throughout the building, watching the uninvited guests beyond the wall.
Centered around the Patrol Van and reinforced by vehicles from Central Headquarters, the police formation used the vehicles as cover, every muzzle trained on the manor. There was no unnecessary chatter, only the crisp sounds of weapons being cocked and the occasional rasp of static from police radios.
James Gordon drew a deep breath and took a few steps forward. He raised a megaphone, his voice ringing across the empty grounds:
"Victor Zsasz! A warrant has been issued for your arrest on suspicion of attempted murder and assaulting Nathaniel Barnes, Chief of the Gotham Police Department! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"
"We know you're in there! Think about yourself, and the people inside who don't want to die for nothing! Come out now with your hands on your head!"
He paused, his gaze turning toward the manor's heavy wooden door, as though he could see through it to the dark emperor of Gotham behind it.
"Carmine Falcone!