Chapter 2: Belief — Part 2
Jim Gordon stood before the coffee machine, watching as the dark liquid slowly filled his cup.
It had been a long night.
He and his officers had spent hours searching Gotham for the Joker, combing through alleyways, questioning thugs, and following every lead they could find. Yet, despite their efforts, they had come up with nothing.
It was almost as if the Clown Prince of Crime had vanished off the face of the earth.
Lost in thought, Jim failed to notice that his cup was almost full. The coffee continued pouring, threatening to spill over the rim.
"Sir?"
A female officer standing beside him brought him back to reality.
Jim glanced down just as the coffee began to overflow. He quickly shut off the machine, narrowly preventing a mess.
"Sorry. Spaced out for a moment there," he said.
"No worries, sir. I get it." The officer smiled sympathetically.
Jim nodded before picking up his cup and walking away.
He hadn't gotten a single minute of sleep, and the exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him. His body felt heavy, his mind sluggish, and the thought of another long day ahead did little to improve his mood.
He took a sip of coffee.
The bitter liquid seemed to jolt him awake, at least a little.
With his cup in hand, Jim headed deeper into the police station. Officers moved through the corridors with the same exhausted expressions he wore, shuffling from one task to another as they struggled to stay awake.
"Morning," he greeted a passing officer.
"Morning, Commissioner."
Jim continued down the hallway, the response serving as another reminder of the miserable night they'd all endured.
A moment later, he pushed open a door and stepped into a quieter corridor.
Batman stood inside, his attention fixed on the two-way mirror overlooking an interrogation room at the opposite end.
Jim approached him.
"Any improvement?" he asked.
Batman shook his head.
"This is the last of them."
He was referring to the thugs who had broken the Joker out of Arkham. Unfortunately, whatever information they might have possessed seemed to be buried beneath something far more troubling.
Because right now, they didn't look like thugs.
Not the way they had last night.
Inside the interrogation room, a police officer stood over a seated man, attempting to question him calmly.
The man, however, was rapidly losing his patience.
"I'm telling you, I have NEVER been to Arkham, much less helped break the Joker out!" he shouted, slamming his hands against the table. "I'm not stupid enough to pull something like that! All I remember is that I was on my way home from work, and the next thing I knew, I woke up here with you unlawfully detaining me!"
He jabbed a finger toward the officer.
"I'm a citizen of this country! I know my rights!"
The officer tried to calm him down, but the man continued his tirade, insisting that he had done nothing wrong.
Behind the two-way mirror, Batman watched the scene with intense focus.
Something wasn't right.
The men they'd apprehended had been among the Joker's accomplices during the Arkham breakout. Yet, since their capture, every single one had insisted they were innocent, claiming they had no memory of participating in the escape.
And they seemed to genuinely believe it.
"Could this be mind control?" Jim asked.
Given everything he'd encountered since becoming Gotham's police commissioner—from a flying man-bat to a talking crocodile—he was just about ready to believe anything.
Batman remained silent for a moment, studying the man in the interrogation room.
"It's possible, but—"
A sudden commotion from outside interrupted him.
Voices rose in the corridor, accompanied by hurried footsteps and the occasional shout. Whatever was happening, it was enough to draw the attention of both men.
Jim turned toward the door, his eyes narrowing.
"What's going on?"
"I called in a friend," Batman replied.
Without another word, he turned and headed for the exit.
Jim followed close behind, his curiosity getting the better of him.
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J'onn J'onzz touched down in front of the Gotham City Police Department.
He could have simply phased through the building and appeared wherever Batman was waiting, but he'd learned that humans tended to get spooked whenever someone did that. Walking through the front door was usually the more reassuring option.
Besides, it wasn't every day that Batman called him directly. In fact, this might have been the first time he'd received a call from the Dark Knight that had nothing to do with League business.
Curious about what Batman wanted, J'onn grasped the door handle and stepped inside, his cape trailing behind him.
The moment he entered, the entire station fell silent.
Every conversation stopped. Officers froze in place, their attention drawn to the towering Martian.
Then the silence exploded into a cacophony of excited chatter.
"That's Martian Manhunter!"
"Is he here to help with the Joker case?"
"Get a picture!"
J'onn paused, taking in the commotion with a neutral expression. He was accustomed to the attention, though that didn't necessarily mean he enjoyed it.
His eyes swept across the station, searching for Batman, but the Dark Knight was nowhere in sight.
J'onn was just about to ask a passing officer for directions when a familiar voice cut through the crowd.
"J'onn. Thanks for coming."
Batman emerged from the gathering officers, his cape draping behind him and concealing his feet as he approached.
"But of course, Batman," J'onn replied.
His expression remained as impassive as ever, offering neither a smile nor any outward sign of discomfort at the crowd surrounding them.
"Shall we begin?"
"This way," Batman said.
He turned and led the Martian deeper into the station, with Jim Gordon following close behind.
The group made their way toward the interrogation room, where the officer was still questioning the man.
As they approached, the officer noticed Commissioner Gordon and immediately stood at attention.
"Sir!"
Jim acknowledged him with a nod.
"Take a break, Officer. We'll handle things from here."
"Yes, sir."
The officer gathered his things and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Batman and Jim stepped aside, giving J'onn room to work.
The Martian approached the seated man, who watched him with growing confusion.
"Please, remain calm," J'onn said. "You have nothing to fear. I only wish to understand what happened to you."
The man glanced between J'onn and the two figures standing behind him.
"What's going on here?, What do you people want from me?"
J'onn offered no immediate answer. Instead, he gently placed a hand on the man's head.
His eyes began to glow.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.
Then J'onn's expression shifted.
"I'm inside his mind," he explained, his voice calm and measured. "But there's something preventing me from going any further."
He pressed on, attempting to move past the obstruction.
A mental barrier stood in his way, firm and unyielding. J'onn focused his telepathic abilities against it, searching for a way through.
At last, the barrier gave way.
Only for him to encounter another one.
J'onn frowned.
He pushed through that barrier as well, only to find yet another waiting beyond it.
And then another.
Each time he broke through, a new obstacle appeared, blocking his path before he could reach the memories he sought.
"This is strange," J'onn murmured.
Behind him, Batman's attention sharpened.
"What is it?"
J'onn didn't answer immediately. His focus remained fixed on the man's mind as he examined the barriers more closely.
"They're not behaving like ordinary mental defenses," he finally said. "It's almost as though they're designed to stop me specifically."
His eyes continued to glow as he pressed against the next barrier.
Whoever—or whatever—had done this hadn't simply hidden the man's memories.
It had made sure J'onn couldn't reach them.
J'onn continued his attempts for several more minutes, trying different approaches to bypass the mental barriers.
None of them worked.
No matter how carefully he navigated the man's mind, another obstacle stood in his way. It was a frustratingly effective defense, one that left him unable to uncover even a single useful memory.
At last, J'onn withdrew his hand.
He turned toward Batman and slowly shook his head.
Batman's frown deepened.
"So, nothing?" Jim asked.
"I'm afraid not," J'onn replied. "I've never encountered anything quite like this. The barriers were too deliberate to be ordinary mental defenses, yet I couldn't determine who—or what—created them."
Batman remained silent, his mind already working through the possibilities.
Another dead end.
After everything they'd uncovered, they were no closer to understanding what had happened during the Joker's escape.
And with no new leads to pursue, there was little else they could do for the time being.
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Outside the Gotham City Police Department, Batman stood beside Jim and J'onn as they discussed their next move.
"Should we involve the League?" J'onn asked. "If someone is capable of constructing mental defenses like these, it may be worth bringing this to their attention."
"No."
Batman's answer came without hesitation.
"Gotham is my city. I'll handle it."
J'onn studied him for a moment but didn't argue. He knew better than most how stubborn the Dark Knight could be when it came to protecting his home.
Batman pressed a button on his gauntlet.
A moment later, the familiar roar of an engine echoed through the street as the Batmobile approached.
The vehicle pulled up beside them, and Batman opened the driver's door before climbing inside.
"Batman," J'onn called.
The Dark Knight paused.
"Be careful," the Martian said.
Batman gave him a brief nod before shutting the door.
The Batmobile's engine roared to life. Within seconds, it sped away, disappearing into Gotham's streets.
J'onn watched until it was out of sight.
Then, with a quiet exhale, he rose into the air and flew away, leaving the police station behind.
The investigation had reached a dead end.
For now, all they could do was wait for the next lead.