Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Seven: Selina Kyle ~

With the return of the six teenagers, word quickly spread around Gotham, and dozens of news reporters and journalists piled into the GCPD building unexpectedly. Not only did they make a sudden appearance, but Mayor James was also there, relieved that this nightmare was over and the press could stop hounding and pointing the finger of blame at him. If he was actually relieved that the children were safe from harm, he had a funny way of showing it. As Mayor James made his way to the balcony, Captain Essen, Jim, and Harvey stood to one side of him while the children, still huddled together and shielding their eyes from the bright flash of cameras, stood on the other. 

"On behalf of all the citizens of Gotham, I want to thank you brave gentlemen, from the bottom of my heart," Mayor James looked to Harvey and Jim before he looked to the children. "And I want to promise you kids... we will take care of you as if you were our own children. But here's the thing. The people who victimized these kids are still out there. And hundreds of vulnerable youngsters are still living rough on our streets. Alone, unprotected, and let's face it, that's the real crime here. So, what are we going to do to help these kids?"

The press started muttering to each other, wondering and waiting for the mayor to further explain. "Yesterday, I made a phone call to Juvenile Services and the GCPD to initiate a humane but tough-love program to get these kids off the streets and into the loving arms of Juvenile Services," Hearing those two words left a bad taste in Jim's mouth. If anything, it sounded like Mayor James was punishing the kids for their way of life that they never should've had to experience in the first place. They didn't ask to be out on the streets, fighting, scrapping, and stealing just to survive an extra day.

Once the press meeting was over, all the media left the precinct as Mayor James followed Captain Essen and the detectives into her office. "I think that went very well," Mayor James spoke confidently. "I think so. A small toast, Your Honor?" Essen offered as she grabbed a few shot glasses and the bottle of rum resting on the counter behind her. "You read my mind," Mayor James nodded as Jim shut the door behind them. "Mr. Mayor, where are you sending all the children that get rounded up?" Jim questioned.

"Foster homes for the cute, undamaged ones. Upstate for the rest," Mayor James replied. Jim squinted, pressing him further about what he meant by upstate. "I'm sending them to the Alpena Youth Corrections Facility. A fine institute, I might add," Mayor James explained. "In other words, you mean prison," Jim clarified. Essen could sense the tension in the room and tried to break it up, warning Mayor James that Jim was their house firebrand. "He also has a daughter of his own, hits close to home,"

"I see. Well Jim, I may not be a parent, but I hope you know where I'm coming from. Those children need structure, people who care for them. Half the petty crime in the city is homeless kids. I'm doing this for the greater good of Gotham. They are the future, and we must work to fix the trauma they've endured if we want them to be the future our city needs. You see?" Jim stared at Mayor James as they stood less than two feet apart. Behind that mask of a caring expression, Jim could see a man who couldn't care less about the lower class. They needed a strong advocate, and Mayor James clearly wasn't the right one. "What I see is you using the child snatchers as a pretext to lock up children without a trial," Jim responded.

Harvey and Essen exchanged looks of worry as ominous silence filled the room. Mayor James could only nod, thanking Jim for the 'refreshing' input. Stepping closer to the two men, Harvey held up his glass in a toast. " L'chaim," he spoke as he, Essen, Mayor James, and Jim toasted their glasses. Once Mayor James left, Jim could only shake his head in disgust. He remembered how corrupt people in power could be. He'd seen it firsthand with his father during his time as DA. He may have portrayed the face of a caring and compassionate soul on the outside, but on the inside, he was just as cold and careless, accepting bribes from shady defense attorneys, associating with the wrong crowds, and even more that threatened to bring Jim back to that dark place.