The Silhouette and The Forge
Chapter 17

“Batman please you need to listen-”

“No. You listen to me, Superman. Stay out of Gotham, I have it handled. Do not come here along with the rest of the League. You will make it worse.” Batman said sitting before the Batcomputer as he goes over all his findings at the crime scenes of what is becoming one of the biggest mass murders in Gotham. 

By no means the biggest but enough to be remembered for years to come. It was just another weight placed upon Bruce when he took it upon himself to try and protect Gotham and those within it, even from themselves. It was something he struggled to keep in check was his need to have complete control and information on everything at any given time.

His mind drifted to that project that he had thought up a long time ago when it would be needed… but he tossed it aside when he realized just how much power that would have and the privacy it would violate on so many levels. He had crossed a line at times, but it was never too far past the line especially when it became abundantly clear that the information that he had was very much needed and what he had done to get it in the end was necessary.

Such as the contingency for the man on the screen before him. One of his greatest and possibly closest friends.

But he has yet to reach that point to make that plan a reality and so focused back on the topic at hand knowing full well Clark wasn’t about to let this go. 

“Batman you could have died that night! I have been seeing some of the drugs getting shipped into Metropolis but they are small amounts and they are rare when they show up. The others have started seeing them in their cities as well. You need help. Let us help you.” His friend implored him.

This wasn’t the first time one of the League members would suggest coming into Gotham to help him. Contrary to popular belief it wasn’t out of pride that Bruce didn’t want them coming into the city. It wasn’t as simple as that. It was because unlike their cities Gotham was an entirely different breed of animal and the normal methods they used to catch their criminals wouldn’t work here.

The criminals of Gotham were far more hardened, and if they were to try something like gathering information from interrogating them Bruce didn’t think they could do it all too well. And if they somehow started getting good at that... 

Looking at Clark's face, Bruce couldn’t bring himself to ever force his friend to intimidate a man to get information like that. It just wasn’t who Clark was… and a part of Bruce wanted to protect his friend from things like that simply because of who he is and the symbol he is to the people of the world.

And that is not getting started on the backlash of the League cracking down on the criminals in Gotham. With how powerful each League member is compared to him Bruce knows the criminals of the city would get desperate and start doing things that would only escalate and get worse and because of how unfamiliar they all are with Gotham they wouldn’t know what to expect. 

Even Bruce was caught off guard with what the city would throw at him and he has been patrolling and protecting this city for years now. 

That is a worst-case scenario if they do come to Gotham. Gotham requires a delicate touch, it doesn’t take much to set the city off into a frenzy. The gang war and what followed are a prime example of that.

“I have it handled. If it comes down to it I will call you for backup. But it has to be on my terms since you don’t know Gotham like I do.” He says in a clipped tone not wanting to discuss this any further, not wanting Clark and the others to get any ideas. 

He stares into his eyes for a long moment before closing his eyes and sighing. “Alright… but if it doesn’t stop we are coming into Gotham whether you like it or not.” His closest friend says to him.

Bruce knew all too well that Clark fully meant it too. Try all he wanted there is no way he can stop Superman if he set his mind to something like that. He could only hope to control and coral him where he needed him. 

“Very well.” The image of the Man of Steel dies as Bruce massages his temples as he feels the weight of the situation weigh upon him. 

After all of his investigations, he has found no clue as to who is a member of the Court or if they truly were the culprits for what happened. All the same, he pushed on as he rose out of his chair and Alfred walked over with a tray of sandwiches and coffee. 

“Master Bruce, must you be so distant with Superman?” He says with a raised brow to him.

“As well-meaning as he is Alfred, he would only make this situation worse.” 

Grabbing a sandwich and taking a bite before taking a swig of the coffee feeling the caffeine kick in as his fading stamina comes back with a vengeance. Walking over to a table with some of the weapons used to kill those people on that night sat before him. No fingerprints. No DNA of any kind. No chemicals or other tall tale signs he could use to find a trail of any kind.

A complete dead end. 

Alfred steps next to him. “Sir I would have to disagree. How could a man faster than a speeding bullet and lift cars like they are children's toys make this worse? He could help you with the investigation even…” He says trailing off.

“Alfred you know as well as I do that if he steps into Gotham and sees someone in trouble he will go to help them. The rest of the League would do the same. That will create problems when they begin taking down all of Gotham's criminals.”

“The problems you think that will arise from them coming here would be mitigated, sir. Superman and the other energetic fellow… Ah yes, the Flash. As fast as they are, they could simply scout the entirety of the city. You are getting overwhelmed sir, a little help from them couldn’t cause that big of a problem that they couldn’t handle alongside you.”

The sole person he can call family implores him as worry and concern lace his words as Bruce acknowledges his points, but he also sees the consequences that could come from this. Let’s say Barry and Clark managed to round up all of the criminals in the city with plenty of evidence to be used against them in a single night.

For starters, Gotham P.D. only has so much room to house that many criminals, especially after the massacre they had lost a fair number of officers. So they lack room and manpower. The other issue is corrupt officials simply letting them out with only a slap on the wrist if he is lucky. 

It’s why Bruce and Commissioner Gordon had prioritized when they had a moment to breathe from whatever crisis was going on to crack down, finding what evidence they could and slowly but surely untangle the web of corrupt officials. They had managed to get many removed and arrested, especially back when Harvey was still the good man he once was before the incident…

It’s not so simple to get rid of corrupt officials. Many more will slow them down or impede them however they can to ensure the ones they are going for are not brought down for one reason or another and none of them are good.

So when those criminals are let out and the League sees this they will start pressing even harder making the criminals scared. More so than they are of him, simply because it’s one thing to have a man like himself in a bat suit compared to an alien that is powered by the sun and fully immune to high-caliber gunfire and explosives coming for you. They will get desperate and start bringing out much bigger weapons and then innocent people will get caught up in it. 

As powerful as they all are they can’t be everywhere at once nor can they save everyone regardless of the power they each command. That’s not even taking into account criminals in their cities they protect knowing they are in Gotham would take advantage of their absence. 

But the biggest reason above all else why he doesn’t want them staying in Gotham for any amount of time is because the darkness of this city may change them. 

“Alfred I fear what they will see and how it will slowly break them down. If they help me in Gotham they will see things that would push them. In the time I have fought and bled for this city, I have seen things I didn’t even think people were capable of in my wildest and darkest dreams. They still haunt me to this day… what would it do to Superman and the others? Will it break them if they are forced to look at it for who knows how long? Will they cross the line and begin taking control of things?”

Alfred looked at Bruce with an intense gaze but he nodded his head at him as he remained silent thinking it over before responding. “While I understand your concerns for your friends and colleagues sir, I think you should have more faith in them to do the right thing no matter what they are faced with. I know all too well of the things you speak of, and you have managed to rise above it all never once giving in to those urges that other men would have long since surrendered themselves to when faced with such evil. If you can then I would like to think they could as well.” 

After that, he turns and walks away as Bruce stares down at the many weapons with owl motifs thinking over Alfred's words as a part of him wants to believe that Alfred may be right and he is wrong. 

But that part of him that feared the worst possible outcome should it ever come to pass, when they crossed a line and took power away from the government. They agreed to the UN charter to assuage the fears and worries of the world's leaders that they wouldn’t become lords of the world to protect them from themselves.

It’s something Bruce struggles with his desire to have all the information at his fingertips ready to be called upon. It has been what ensured he is still alive and was able to best some of the more dangerous elements of his rogues gallery. If he struggles with that, how badly would Superman and the rest struggle with knowing that for all of their power, they can’t stop all of crime for even a week without taking drastic measures?

Sighing as he lets the topic drop. It will do him no good right now when he has far more pressing things to deal with. 

…

“... and that is how whales and hippos are surprisingly related to one another and how looking at ancient remains of both prehistoric animals and plants can give us clues that they may share ancestry and are related. Any questions?” I say to the room full of students as surprisingly most of them are paying attention and not on their phones. 

According to the rumor mill in the University, most of Kirk's classes are a snooze fest for those who are not as interested as he is in genetics and animal biology. Not that he is boring, nor is the class entirely but it is more due to Kirk just not being that great of a teacher. After the first day of watching him teach the class, he was a rather disorganized mess on what topic to focus on before going off on a tangent that was related to the topic but not what the class was supposed to be taught that day.

He means well it’s just he doesn’t have everything organized or the things I learned from experienced teachers at the high school where I worked. Those people were good people, never treated me badly as few and far between as they were, and as they put it to me one day when we were eating lunch together, you need to make sure you don’t just drone on and on. 

Most kids and young adults need some excitement every now and again, like cracking a joke or keeping them active in class. Kirk doesn’t realize this and I would like to think he would if he wasn’t so stressed and looking like he is lacking a lot of sleep. 

Several hands rise into the air. Pointing to a random Hispanic guy he asks his question, “So will we be learning about the different skeletal structures and how to recognize them in other species? And what can we expect from the part where we will deal with plants?” 

“The first one will be something that will be covered later on in the class. Professor Langstrom has managed to get in contact with the Gotham Museum for us to go there and see some of the skeletal remains they have stored away for a field trip. The second one I have discussed with the professor is the different labs and class experiments we can do that will be both educational and fun for everyone. You?”

The young man and several of the students smile at the mention of the field trip. Guess that is something that is no different even in Gotham. Looking at the blonde girl with green eyes expectantly as she asks her question. 

“Are you going to be teaching the class more often than the professor? Because if you are, I am actually excited about this class for once.” She says with a smile as I have to hide my wince and not look at the empty desk as Kirk is currently busy making sure the rest of his funding isn’t taken away while trying to keep his experiments going without any issues cropping up.


So once I had proven I could teach the class Kirk reluctantly and from the look on his face being ridden with remorse and guilt had asked me to teach the class for him when he was busy. To his surprise, I readily accepted the task since I could easily do any of the homework for this and the rest of my classes that I still have. The students so far like me and I make sure they are properly engaged in the course and help them however I can.

Something I developed in my days of playing games with other players online. I never leave a man behind and will do everything in my power to make sure they make it to the goal. These people are no different and if I think they can’t make it with how the odds are stacked I will let them know they may be better off withdrawing. 

“On some days I will be teaching you all and others merely assisting Professor Langstrom. I understand how you all may think of him, but I ask you to at least give him a chance. He is under an unimaginable amount of stress and many other things so he is not currently able to teach you all as well as he could. Just give him some time is all I ask from each of you.” 

As I say this the bell rings signaling the end of class as the students gather their things and leave the classroom I let the few stragglers take pictures of the board before I wipe it down and make sure everything is accounted for and organized on Kirks desk with proper labels noting where everything is in each drawer and cabinet in the room. 

Before it was a chaotic mess that only Kirk seemed to know where anything was. And that was only half the time, the other half even he didn’t know. The man was hanging on by a thread before I started helping him, now he is more with it but still not enough. 

As I get the room ready so that I can leave I hear quiet steps shuffling around outside the door. My head comes around the corner and I am right in the face of a red-haired girl with glasses. 

“Eep.” She says in shock as she stops fidgeting nervously and stands as still as a statue as we stare at one another. Raising a solitary brow at Pamela standing before me with wide eyes that wouldn’t look too far off from a deer caught in a car's headlights. 

 She wears a green sweater with black baggy pants as she simply stays quiet. 

“Hello?” I say to her breaking the silence since she doesn’t look like she would speak anytime soon otherwise.

Snapping out of what had taken hold of her she speaks nervously. “H-hi my name is Isley- I mean Pamela! Pamela Isley. Just wanted to introduce myself since you are a teacher's assistant like myself.” She says with her hands clasped in front of her chest as she fidgets with her fingers.

“Nice to meet ya Pamela, my name is Daniel Cunningham. So you are an assistant too?” I ask her as I step out of the classroom.

“Y-yes. I work along with Ja- I mean Dr. Woodrue.” She corrected herself when she almost said Woody's actual name and glanced around the hall to make sure no one heard her.

I give her a look of sympathy as she looks confused at me. “You have my sympathy working under that… guy. Met him with Dr. Langstrom after I had gotten the position of his assistant. It… was less than pleasant.” 

“Sorry… Dr. Woodrue can be a bit… abrasive but he means well.” She says with a grimace and I can only smile and shake my head as she looks like she doesn’t believe what she said herself. “He might come off as a little harsh at times but he is just trying to make sure he doesn’t lose the funding the college is giving him for his projects. How are you liking the university so far?”

Deciding to not go back to the prior topic since she quickly shifted the topic away from it and it’s not like me complaining to her about Woody Woodpecker would change anything. 

“It’s enjoyable so far despite the setbacks I have had to deal with.” 

She tilts her head quizzically as her hair shifts around, almost looking like a shaggy dog waving its hair over its head. “What happened?” 

She doesn’t appear to be fishing for information with how genuine the question sounded and from the looks of her, she doesn’t look like she has any ill intent. 

“Talked to the Chancellor of the school about taking the test early for my doctorate so I can get my degree earlier like a few students have done in the past at both this university and others. But he had decided to not do so and instead paired me with Dr. Langstrom for a year to two and I can take the test after the time is up.” 

“Of course he did… They did the same thing to me. I was trying to get a degree in botany and I knew I could ace the test but he wouldn’t let me do it instead Dr. Woodrue had shown an interest in me and my ideas and the Chancellor had told me to work with him for a time and then I would be allowed to take the test… that was about two years ago. He has been avoiding me for some time and Dr. Woodrue won’t talk with me about it and brushes it off the few times I bring it up.” She says as she looks down at the floor wringing her hands. 

“So the Chancellor is wringing us for all that he can get out of the grants given to us by the Wayne Association.”

Pamela looks up, mouth hanging open before she quickly closes it, nodding at me with a sad smile. “You picked up on it a lot faster than I did… took me a year to realize what the Chancellor was doing.”

“You could say I got used to how Gotham is run when I first came to this city. If you want you can chat with me while I get the classroom cleaned up and organized?” I ask, gesturing at the door as she mulls it over before shaking her head.

She is not as nervous as she was before with me but she still isn’t entirely comfortable in my presence. Nothing wrong with that either, especially if she is not a people person like I used to be. 

“No thank you. Just wanted to introduce myself to you since we were neighbors-”

“Pamela!” A voice that I hoped to not hear shouts loud enough for me to hear it in the room as Pamela winces.

“Sorry, talk to you some other time Daniel…” She manages to get out quietly before Woody yells her name even angrier this time she quickly leaves as I hear the man in the distance quiet enough that I can’t fully make out what he is saying but enough to tell his tone is far more aggressive than it needs to be.

As I finished up the classroom and thankful Woody had just enough sense to not keep doing what he was with Pamela in the hall. If he had continued to do so then I was going to do something to him. From how Pamela reacted I am already going to do things to that man that he is going to wish I had just beat him up.

With what he did to Kirk who after some digging found that he had done nothing malicious to the man he still felt the need to screw him over. I am a scumbag and you won’t hear any arguments from me about it.

But I don’t screw someone over without a lot to gain and even then I had the decency to feel guilt and regret for what had been done and currently trying to make life better in this city. 

Of course, a tiger can’t get rid of its stripes by no means but in my case, it can be used to further better others lives. 

Woody on the other hand seems to get off on kicking others especially when they are down and thinks himself above everyone and just better.

So might as well teach him a lesson while training up my ninjutsu. Nothing like putting an arrogant prick in his place as motivation to get better.

Just as I start thinking of ways just to screw with the guy as I step out and close the classroom door steps draw my gaze and I see Kirk in a hurry.

“Daniel quickly come with me. I need your help.”