A L L E Y S | Gotham

twenty three | VIDEOTAPES

SARAH ESSEN'S OFFICE WAS TIDY, unlike the state she was left in before she died. Jim walked around it, with Isabella holding his hand and following him.

Since waking up, she refused to leave his side, and made him stay with her as Lee patched up the wound on her head.

"She was a good woman," Bullock called out from behind them. Isabella recognised his friendly voice, and slowly detached herself from Jim, hugging Harvey with tears running down her face.

"Good cop," Jim agreed, his face still bloody from Barbara and Aaron's beating. "It's good to see you, but you don't have to do this."

Isabella then went back to her father, her head kept down. Jim didn't know how much she saw while the G.C.P.D was taken over, but he knew it was enough to scare her. It didn't help that she had been hit by one of them.

"Let's not talk about it," Harvey said seriously. "We are who we are, right? No use fighting it."

"What did Scotty say?"

"She'll understand... or she won't. "

One of the officers ran into the room, going towards the TV and quickly blurting, "Guys, you need to see this."

A newswoman appeared on the screen, saying, "I'm reporting live from the scene of the G.C.P.D massacre. We have just obtained video footage of the attack recorded by one of the assailants. I want to warn those of you watching, what you are about to see is very graphic."

Isabella jumped from behind Jim when the screen flashed to look at a dead officer, sat in a chair. The camera was soon picked up, revealing Jerome.

"Hello, Gotham City! We're the Maniax. And I'm Jerome, the shot-caller of our little gang. We're here to spread the message of wisdom and hope," he giggled, but his expression turned dark when one of the officers grunted in pain next to him.

The girl squealed when he pulled out a gun, not even hesitating to shoot him, "Some people have no manners."

"Isabella," Gordon said, remembering she was there, "get out, please."

"But-"

"Now!"

She flinched at her father's harshness, but did as he said, leaving the room hesitantly to find Lee, or Ed Nygma.

Jim and Harvey watched as Jerome got up close to the camera, "You're all prisoners. What you call sanity is just a prison in your minds that stops you from seeing that you're just tiny, little cogs in a giant absurd machine... WAKE UP! Why be a cog? Be free like us. Just remember," he chortled, lifting up the corner of the dead officer's lips, "smile!"

The sounds of sirens could be heard, and Jerome grabbed the poor man's hat, placing it on his own head, "Oh, time to go! But don't worry, we'll be back very soon. Hang onto your hats folks, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!"

〰〰〰〰

Jerome held a hand over his mouth to try and contain his laughs as the old man walked through the door, shutting it behind him with his foot.