Paralyzer [Gotham]

20

Every good sumaritan left when the city evacuated, it seemed, for Penguin had a guillotine prepared and ready for use. When he walked Zsasz back out to the main room, the guard on his arm also carried a wicker basket, presumably for his head to fall in; he was still gagged. What bugged me is that some of the men working for the bird now had been under Victor's command just before the city fell.

The bird slammed down the gavel as they kneeled Victor at the guillotine, turning to the crowd with a pleased, tight smile on his lips. "By the power vested in me, by...well, me, I sentence you, Victor Zsasz, to die." I couldn't stay in one spot, leaving my perch on the stairs and attemtping to push my way forward and through the crowd. "Any last words?"

They didn't remove the gag, allowing him to mumble into the tape as if that sufficed. And it would've made me chuckle, that in the face of having a giant blade dropped on his neck he still held his casual humor, but I was too scared of being without him that I didn't react outisde of moving faster. "Well said." I dropped into a squat as a shot was fired, into the roof judging by the crackling that followed, but as the crowd scattered I looked up in time to see the blade drop, Gordon's partner pulling him from the wooden death trap just as it neared the pale flesh it was intended to sever.

I stayed near the floor a moment, putting my hands flat on the marble to balance myself as I took a moment to breathe. He was fine, as much as Victor had done, Gordon wouldn't let him go down for something he hadn't. "What the hell are you doing?!" Penguin growled as Gordon kept a gun trained on the guards.

"Trying to keep you all from making a terrible mistake." Despite that my heart was still racing and that the dust of conflict hadn't quite settled, I found myself able to relax. In Gordon's hands, Victor was safe.

"See? Jim Gordon cares more about protecting a murderer, than he does about protecting you!" He hobbled over to the captain as the latter held his gun steady on the nearest guard. "You've lost them, Jim. They don't believe in you anymore." As Penguin continued his taunt, I gathered with how close I was to the two, that if I was quick enough, I could at the very least stab the bird in the leg. Nothing fatal, but enough to stall him, but as if Victor could read my mind, he met my eyes and shook his head.

Victor had made it a point these days to allow me to help him, to ensure I knew that should I be given the opportunity, I take it. But he was actively making me stand down, to remain the concerned citizen left over from the chaos, so I listened.

Before I'd even made the decision to, Gordon shoved Penguin in the chest, hard enough to send him sliding over the waxed floor. Taking the moment while Penguin was down, the police made their exit with their perp between them. I waited for the crowd of refugee citizens to disperse before leaving the building. I'm not sure when he'd slipped it on me, but a note in what I could assume was Gordon's handwriting had found it's way into my coat pocket, an address neatly scrawled within.

[]

I waited in the back parking lot of a factory for ten minutes before the sound of an engine caught my ears. All things considered, I was surprised I made it here before they had - though my newly added criminal instincts said they'd probably tried avoiding having a tail. I waited patiently beside one of the fenced off buildings as the police crusier with barred windows pulled to a stop several feet away. I didn't listen as the cops bickered with each other, but I watched as Gordon helped Zsasz from the backseat.

After pulling the duct tape down to this neck he uncuffed him, his partner coming around the crusier as Victor rubbed his wrists. I didn't really listen to what he said to the captian, at least until Gordon walked a few feet away and said loudly, "Give him your gun, Harvey." I stood up straight, taking a few steps off the fence but still only watching. If he didn't want me interviening then, he definately didn't want me to now.

"What?" Harvey deadpanned, Victor repeating the question as well.

"Give him your gun." When his partner hesitated, he yelled, "Do it!" encouraging me a few steps further.

"You got a death wish, Jim?" Victor taunted as Harvey resistantly complied. "'Cause I'll kill you. Harvey, too." Gordon already had the gun drawn at his side, standing opposite him like they were taking part in an Old West standoff.

"Maybe," the captain played along. "Maybe I'm tired of listening to you, Victor." Harvey hesitantly extended a revolver to him, I barely caught the way his eyes dipped to me as he decided. "Do it," Gordon taunted again.

Victor slowly reached up, gloved fingers almost as hesitant as Harvey had been before quickly throwing up the other hand in surrender with, "You know what? You seem tired." Harvey didn't waste a second pulling back his gun, a small sigh of relief leaving me. "Maybe we should do this another day, yeah?" Gordon stowed his own gun as he advanced the several steps to stand before Victor.

"People like you are always trying to own this city. But you never will. Now get the hell outta my face." With a slow nod, Victor started turning towards me.

"See you around, Jim." There was a small smile on my face as he crossed the pavement to me, nodding me forward once he reached a few steps of distance. Once we got to the street he hotwired a car, driving off before allowing himself to relax.

"You had me worried," I sighed, reaching over and breaking the ring of duct tape so I could pull it from his neck.

"I always do, these days," he chuckled, the humor in his voice mild. I resisted the urge to land a punch on him, laying my head on his shoulder and clinging to the arm not settled on the wheel.

"I almost watched you get beheaded," I pointed out. "I nearly had a heart attack." Victor took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers between mine, kissing the back of my hand a long moment as he carefully avoided the debris on the street.

"I'll be more careful from now on, no more rooms full of witnesses." I got the instinct before I could think of fighting it, my arm flailing out to smack him across the stomach. He laughed but he didn't even pull a curl to my lips, kissing my head when he realized I didn't share in his amusement.