VECTOR IN DC

Seated at his office and with the mixed expression of both frustration, stress and exhaustion etched on his face. Gordon rubbed on his temples as he filled out a bunch of paperwork.

A sigh escaped him the moment he looked up and saw the stack pile of paper works upon his desk. In need of a break, he pulled out a cigarette, reclined into his chair as he turned to gaze at the window. 

He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, lit up his cigarette and took a long drag from it.

“Just when things were starting to look up for Gotham City.” He murmured.

Crime in Gotham City had taken a dive down as it had an unbelievably impressive decrease in crime rate thanks to Ace and the OutLaws who appeared to be managing and containing organized crimes.

But now due to the past events, that record was being flushed down the drain. This was a reminder that Gotham City would never be free from crime and this meant a whole lot of paperwork for him as well.

“The other guy thought there was something odd about Ace's relationship.” He muttered to himself before taking another drag of his cigarette.

 

Gordon was in total confusion as to Ace’s relationship with Jamie because at first they were in a fight against one another but when the Justice League showed up at the scene to contain the chaos, they seemed to team up and fight against the League.

While deep in thought, a knock at his office door pulled him right out of it. “Come in.” 

The door was slowly opened, revealing a middle aged white male with average physique and stubble beards. “You have a visitor, sir.” Officer Martinez announced while gesturing his open palm to the office, as Tom walked right inside.

Tom greeted with a mild smile which barely made it to the side of his lips. “Greetings Commissioner.”

“Oh, Tom. Nice of you to pay us a visit, how can I be of help to you today?” Gordon knew Tom wouldn’t pay the Gotham PD such a casual visit unless he either had something for them or needed something from them.

But Gordon could only hope this rich youngster would provide some sort of useful information to the case he was currently faced with.

 

As if getting an answer to his prayers, Tom replied. “More like how I could be of help to you.” 

This piqued Gordon’s interest, wondering what information Tom could possibly give to him that could help out.

“Unfortunately, my home was victimized by Ace the Tyrant and the other lot, destroying my place of residence in the process.”

This was information unknown to the Commissioner. “I am so sorry about that, we are doing everything in our power to locate Ace and also trying to Identify the mysterious fellow he clashed with.” 

Gordon was still wondering how Tom meant he could be of help, but hearing about the destruction of Tom’s residence made him curious as to how he could remain so calm and not yell at him for the incompetence of the police force.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of paperwork and reports to cover with so little time. I fear the scale of destruction might be greater than we know. So please get to the part where you can be of help, time and information is of the most value to us right now.”

“Well, of course.” Tom replied, ready to cook up the briefest lie he possibly could, while also trying to hint the police without making mention of his direct involvement as Ace.

“I just got out of the bathroom that night and was preparing for bed after tending to some work, when my home shook from what appeared to be a loud crash.” 

“My housemate was downstairs and it had me shocked and worried for both the cause of the noise and for his safety. But as I came down the stairs, my living room looked like the aftermath of an earthquake.”

Gordon stared intently at Tom, investing his attention into the story, hoping for some helpful clue.

“Fortunately enough, Jason was safe and joined me as we watched the two fellers who stood upon the rubbles of our home.”

“Wait, do you mean…?” Gordon's eyes widened and had a more serious look in them as he spoke.

“...Yes, Ace and the other blond guy were having a little discussion amid their fight.”

“This might indeed be some useful information.” Gordon reached for his drawer and pulled out a recorder. “Do you mind?” He asked Tom, waving the recorder in his hand.

“Of course not.” Tom replied.

“Go on.” Gordon signaled Tom who was smiling at the back of his mind, Gordon had taken his bait.

“I was unable to completely make out what they were saying since I met the last bit of the conversation and was worried for our safety, but I heard a couple of things.”

“~Things like?”

“I heard Ace refer to the blond dude as the leader of the Sparrows.” Gordon's eyes widened upon this revelation. “Did you get his name?” He asked.

“...Fortunately, I did.” Tom replied, purposly taking a pause to play on Gordon’s curiosity.

“Ace called him by the name Jamie.” 

“Yes!” Gordon quitely exclaimed, seeming like he had overcome a huge huddle.

“Did you get why they fought?” 

“Sadly, I didn’t.” Gordon appeared to be a bit disappointed by that response, yet he seemed satisfied with what Tom has told him so far.

“That’s all I know, I knew I had to report this to you before I end up forgetting something that could be of help.” The commissioner reached for the recorder and put an end to the session.

“Thank you for reporting this, it was very helpful. I appreciate your cooperation and help in making this city a better place.” Gordon stood up from his seat and extended a handshake to Tom.

Standing up from his seat, Tom reciprocated the gesture and shook the Commissioner's hand. “Just doing my bit towards making this world a safer place. It’s you guys, the police who are the real heroes.

Gordon saw him out of the station himself and once again apologized for the destruction of his property, and even offered to help him out in getting a temporary place to stay but Tom declined the offer as he had that covered already.

…

Seated at the edge of a rooftop downtown, Talia watched the city below while awaiting Tom’s arrival. Very little time passed when she sensed a presence behind her.

“You are late.” She spoke up without turning her head to see who it was.

“As a matter of fact, I’d say I'm right on time.” A voice came from behind as a male figure walked right up to her and sat next to her.

“Do you ever accept defeat?” She teased as she turned to him, glancing at the white haired young man who shook his head in response.

That night Tom had arranged to meet up with Talia who contacted him earlier during the day, saying she had some information she would like to share but it had to be in person. 

Suspecting it concerned the assignment he had given her and the League of Assassins regarding the identity of the benefactor who sent the Sparrows’ after him, he agreed to the meet up.

“So tell me, what is this important information you mentioned earlier?” Tom asked as he looked over the city’s skyline.

“It’s regarding the identity of someone you’ve been searching for. The one who placed a bounty on your head.” She replied.

“I thought as much, that was why I agreed to this little meetup. I have a lot on my plate at the moment, a lot of things to set in motion and time is of the essence to me so get on with it.”

With a sigh, Talia spoke up. “First you have to promise to agree to a term of mine before revealing this information to you.”

“You are in no position to make demands.” Tom stated, hinting she better speak up and not waste his time.

“Fine…It was Damian, my son.” She replied. Tom’s expression didn’t have the slightest hint of anger or any sort of emotion, it was so neutral that she didn’t know what to make of it.

She found it more scary to be unable to read the expression of someone who could pop her brains out without even trying, but she composed herself and continued.

“He contacted the Sparrows and offered them a hefty sum of cash for your head. I do apologize for it was a foolish mistake, and I offer myself up if you intend to get him back for such an act.” 

Tom stared at Talia for a while, maintaining his silence as he stared at her.

Tom let out a sudden laugh, breaking the silence as he left Talia in confusion. “That grumpy kid of yours?” He asked.

“Yes.” She replied, unsure of the reason behind his laughter. “He’s been having a tough time since the death of my father.”

“That was a ballsy move, I like that kid even more.” Tom said to her, relieved it wasn’t someone who might have known his identity as Ace the Tyrant, but a twisted kid who just sought vengeance.

“I apologize for this reckless act of his. As his mother, I take responsibility for his deeds and will accept whatever punishment you wish.” 

........

All I can say is that, it hits different when the person you cherish the most is laying on an hospital bed...In this case, my mum.

But she's better now, so I will be posting a bit more frequently now. 

Thank you all for your patience.