BATMAN: Fall Of The Dark Knight #Wattys2016

4: THE WITNESS (& BARBARA GORDON'S TERROR)

Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock watched the video along with Renee Montoya that had been uploaded to YouTube showing The Batman--or at least someone who looked like Batman as Montoya suggested--killing Harley Quinn with one of his Batarangs. It was a short clip and looked like it had been shot from atop a roof, perhapsmaybe a balcony. The video started by showing Batman crouching over the body of Billy Piper a.k.a. Robin after The Joker--allegedly--shot him. Then it showed The Batman raising his Batarang in obvious anger and throwing it directly at The Joker while he was distracted from his hideous laughing. That's when Harley Quinn ran up and pushed The Joker out of the way, causing the Batarang to strike her dead instead. Someone shouted "Oh shit!" after Harley was killed by Batman. That's when the video abruptly ended.

Seeing The Joker always reminded Gordon of the time he and his thugs broke into his home where they shot his daughter Barbara and took turns raping her in front of him after they tied him up naked in some bizarre effort to drive him insane. James worried she would never recover from what that bastard clown had done to her. But Barbara was a survivor. She eventually regained the ability to walk again thanks to an experimental surgery funded by Wayne Enterprises. He didn't understand the technicality of it, something having to do with nanotechnology. All he knew was that his little girl could walk again. Now she was married to Mayor Dick Grayson and she was pregnant with their first child and his first grandchild. Dick was a godsend as far as Gordon was concerned. He was there for Barbara during some very dark times in the years following her shooting and subsequent paralysis. He was patient with her and cared for her when she was distrusting of everyone, especially men, which was certainly understandable given the terror The Joker had put her through and something she had nightmares about for a long, long time. Years later Gordon prevented Batman from killing The Joker with his bare hands. He often wondered if he had made the right decision.

The tech guys had traced the IP address of the uploader of the YouTube video. It turned out it was also the same person who made the 911 call that directed them to the crime scene. Officers had brought in the young man, who was a graffiti artist and petty burglar named Andre Watts, and put him in one of the interrogation rooms. James Gordon and Harvey Bullock stepped into the interrogation room where graffiti artist Andre Watts was sitting and waiting. Gordon was carrying a copy of the young man's rap sheet with him. He was arrested numerous times for posting his graffiti around Gotham along with a few petty thefts. Nothing too serious. However, he was picked up by Gotham PD because he was not only the one who made the 911 call about Batman killing Harley Quinn he also posted a short clip of the murder on YouTube, which, of course, had gone viral.

Gordon and Bullock sat across from him across the table. Andre—whose real name was Andrew—was deliberately looking away from them. He was wearing a black skull capwith a white skull and crossbones in the center. He was sporting a few tattoos along with a nose ring. His skin was so pale he looked almost like a ghost. His pants were pulled down to reveal his boxer shorts. This annoyed Gordon immensely, although he didn't let it show as he opened the folder and started reading its contents aloud.

"Andre Watts. Real name Andrew. It says here you've been arrested several times for posting graffiti andfor petty larceny."

"Your point being, you old cop?" Andre said, still not looking at either Gordon or Bullock.

"Watch your mouth, punk," Harvey growled, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Easy, Bullock," Gordon said quietly. "He's just trying to act tough."

Harvey glanced at the Commissioner and grunted. He decided he'd let Gordon handle this one. He knew he's handled worse. They both had.

Andre finally shot Gordon a look. "It's no act, cop. You don't scare me."