Allies

The following evening, the two met at the intersection on Port Street.

A protest march had just ended, and the acrid smell of tear gas still lingered in the air.

Broken bottles and scorched banners littered the cobblestones. Several police cars sat on the street corners, their lights flashing.

Gordon carefully picked his way through the broken glass scattered across the cobblestones and waved to William nearby.

"Mr. Gordon, you don't look very well rested."

William's gaze settled on the dark circles beneath Gordon's eyes.

Of course Gordon was exhausted. He had spent the entire afternoon putting down a violent protest.

He hadn't slept well the night before, either-not just because his car had been blown up, but mostly because he had doubts about William's identity.

The young man was undoubtedly on the side of justice, but he had far too many secrets.

How did he know so much, even down to Batman's whereabouts? What had he borrowed the car for last night, and why had Dares threatened him?

With those questions weighing on him, Gordon had stared at the ceiling all night.

Now it was finally time for answers.

He wanted to wait for William to speak first, but the young man apparently had no intention of explaining. He merely waved for Gordon to follow.

They walked through a city block and stopped outside a private tavern.

"The Black Truffle... why did you bring me here?"

"It looks like a tavern, but it's actually an underground boxing club. The man we're looking for is inside."

Seeing William about to enter, Gordon hastily grabbed his wrist.

"Wait... I don't understand. You're saying... he gave up being a vigilante to hide out here and fight in illegal boxing matches? That's ridiculous..."

"Come on. We can talk while we watch the fights. Did you bring the things I asked for?"

Gordon handed over the bag of food he was carrying. Inside were popcorn and cola.

Only then did he understand why William had asked him to bring them.

-So the kid wanted to munch on popcorn while enjoying the boxing matches?

Of course, getting through the tavern's front door wasn't that easy.

The tall security guard once again spread his arms to block William.

"You again? Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday?"

"What exactly did you do to him?" Gordon asked coldly from behind William, his face darkening.

"Hahaha! This kid had no connections, but he still dared to show up here. The boss pointed a gun at him, and he was too scared to make a peep... wait, who's that?"

He finally noticed Gordon standing behind William.

"Officer James... Gordon?!" The fat man hunched his shoulders and swallowed.

"Angie, if I remember correctly, you were last arrested for extortion."

"I've turned over a new leaf! I even had my tattoos removed!" The fat man pulled back his sleeve, revealing a large patch of red, swollen scars.

Hearing the commotion outside, the tavern owner stomped downstairs and yanked the door open with a vicious scowl.

"Who's making trouble out here? Ah, it's our little cop."

Wolf's gaze landed on William's faintly amused face.

The security guard quietly tugged at his sleeve, but Wolf shook him off.

"I was wondering who it was. What are you doing here again? Did my words not carry enough weight, or..." Wolf pulled out his gun.

But all he did was lower his head and rack the slide.

When he looked up again-

The man in front of his gun had become James Gordon.

God, that face was straight out of a nightmare.

He would never forget the painful memory of Gordon chasing him down for smuggling videotapes at the port five years ago and shoving his entire head into a broken wooden crate.

"Officer Gordon..."

"Threatening a public official, hmm?" With his hands in his pockets and his lips pursed, Gordon fixed his gaze on the muzzle.

"No... that's not... I wasn't trying to threaten... I was... I was aiming at him!!!"

Wolf's eyebrows drooped, and he looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

William knew Gordon wasn't joking. If he didn't intervene, the stickler really would pull out his handcuffs. He immediately stepped forward with a smile, rubbed his hands together, and draped an arm over Wolf's shoulders.

"Surprise!"

Wolf thought fast and immediately laughed along.

He didn't forget to fish some money out of his pocket and slip it into William's trouser pocket, either.

After that little incident, Wolf led the two of them into the tavern's basement.

The underground boxing venue was even larger than William had imagined. Wolf had knocked through all the surrounding basements. The air in the dim room was stale, lights flashed, and a DJ worked the decks with gusto.

William swayed his hips to the beat, while the upright Gordon looked thoroughly uncomfortable, his brow furrowed the entire time.

"Officer Gordon, don't forget your promise. You said you wouldn't take action on my turf..."

Wolf reminded him once more, then took an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit.

Gordon pushed away the bulging envelope.

"Bribing a public official?"

"No... no... it's just a small token of gratitude for beating me so soundly back then, before I could sink any deeper into a life of crime."

"You're breaking the law right now, too."

Gordon looked around.

"Illegal alterations, no business license... have you paid taxes on this operation..."

Gordon couldn't help reaching for the handcuffs at the small of his back. Seeing this, William quickly shooed Wolf away, then hooked an arm around Gordon's shoulders with a smile and dragged him over to the bar.

After ordering a sparkling water, he calmly laid out the results of his investigation over the past few days, including Zsasz's statement and how he had collected Batman's equipment in the slums.

And, of course, the most important discovery: Batman's true identity.

"You're saying Batman lost his memory, and he's... he's Bruce Wayne?"

Gordon lowered his voice, but the way his fingers kept tapping the bar betrayed his unease.

"Yes. At first, I thought it was just an accident, but what happened last night gave me a new theory. This might be a scheme by the higher-ups at Wayne Enterprises. Someone wants to get rid of Bruce Wayne. Maybe they want control of the whole company, or maybe there's something deeper behind it..."

"No, what I'm asking is, do you really think Bruce... is Batman?"

Gordon interrupted William's monologue.

"A billionaire spending every night in a skintight suit, prowling through dark, damp alleys?!"

"Hard to understand?"

"Impossible to understand. All right, William, I've actually suspected for a long time that Batman and Bruce Wayne were working together. Wayne Enterprises funded the equipment, and some tough ex-special forces soldier played Batman... but now you're telling me they're actually the same person."

William raised his eyebrows.

It seemed he had overestimated Gordon's willingness to accept it.

Or perhaps a born-and-bred Gotham resident simply couldn't accept that answer as naturally as a DC fan could, even if he knew about the trauma Bruce had suffered as a child.

So William reorganized his thoughts and tried to explain in more rational terms.

"Mr. Gordon, think about it. Batman disappeared a year ago, and shortly afterward, Wayne Enterprises withdrew its support for most public welfare programs. If they weren't the same person, that wouldn't make any sense."

That seemed to work. Gordon wavered.

Just then, the lights dimmed.

As a harsh overhead spotlight fell on the boxing ring behind the bar, the crowd stirred. People set down their drinks and playing cards, stopped chatting, and gathered around the ring.

William picked up his popcorn, too.

"Come on. Let's go meet tonight's star first."