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lfthinkerwrites · 6 years

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The Commission-The End of Day One

Title: From the Case Files of Edward Nigma: The Road to Arkham

Chapter Title: The Commission-The End of Day One

Fandom: Batman

Rating: T

Summary: Bruce and Penelope size each other up, Aaron Cash testifies, and Edward reacts to the day's events.

Previous Chapters: 1/2

AO3 Link

Bruce Wayne had kept his word. After they'd left City Hall, he'd taken Penelope to a small french bistro just a block down the street. "We should be back in plenty of time for the commission to start back up," he said after the waiter had taken their order. He gestured across to her. "I'd be happy to pay for you-"

"Thank you, but that's not necessary," Penelope said. The last thing she needed was someone like Ryder spotting the two of them together and making assumptions. Wayne shrugged. "Just offering." He took a sip of his water and flashed her a smile. Penelope couldn't quite bring herself to return it. From all of his broadcast appearances, and from the way he carried himself today, Bruce Wayne had every appearance of being a charming, if slightly dense, man. Yet the longer Penelope spent in his company, the more uneasy she felt. He was perfectly polite to her and engaged in a minimum of pointless small talk, but as she sat across from him at their small table observing him, she detected an air of artificiality about him. He said the right things, but it seemed practiced. He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. She wasn't sure if this was typical among people in his class, or if it was unique to him. "So," he said. "What were you and Bolton getting into it over? He seemed furious." Penelope paused, taking a sip of her drink before she replied. "He was an old colleague of mine from Arkham Asylum. He remembers our time together much more fondly than I do." She debated whether she should tell him the rest, then sighed. If he was going to regularly attend these hearings, he'd find out sooner or later. "He also informed me that the commission wants me to testify this week." Wayne looked a bit surprised. "You? Why-" then his mouth dropped in realization. "You were the psychiatrist, weren't you? The one that Goodman kidnapped?" He appeared to be pretty quick on the uptake for a man that liked to present himself as a playboy. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, that was rude. You probably don't want to talk about it." "It's alright," Penelope said with a rueful sigh. What kind of a life did she have that what happened back in December wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to her? "I'm going to be talking about it in front of hundreds of people at the end of the week anyway." "Still," Bruce said. "I can't imagine that's going to be pleasant for you." "It won't be," she answered. "But there's not a lot I can do about that." She took another sip of her drink and relaxed a bit. Wayne may be a bit dense, but he appeared to be genuinely good-hearted. Bruce watched Dr. Young's every move carefully. This had been the first time since what had happened in Arkham that he'd had any kind of close contact with her. For the first few months after the riot, he'd checked in on her from time to time, both to ensure that she wasn't recreating her TITAN experiment and to see that she was recovering. He'd stopped his regular check-ins after six months, but even with his limited observations, he saw just how broken the woman had been by her experience at Arkham. As much as he'd detested her experiment, he'd felt genuine pity for her. That had been why he'd suggested to Gordon that he reach out to her to use her as a consultant. She hadn't accepted the offer though, until after she’d encountered Edward at the Memorial fiasco. More than once, Bruce wished he knew what exactly had passed between them, for he suspected that whatever had happened had helped lead the both of them to where they were now. He recalled Dr. Young’s outburst when Bullock publicly blamed Edward for what had happened. Was that simple gratitude for her rescuer, or was there something else going on? He doubted it was anything romantic. The experience with Croc last week had proved that Edward still wasn’t over Crane. But Gordon had mentioned that Edward may still be willing to collaborate with her. Was that what was happening now?

“I still can’t help but wonder, Mr. Wayne,” she said. “You must have better things to do with your time than to sit on these hearings.”

Bruce leaned back a bit, pretending to ponder her question. It was obvious she was digging for information, but to what end? “Well, I do try to stay civically engaged,” he said. “Both of my parents dedicated a lot of their time and money to this city and I’d like to be able to follow their example.”

Penelope nodded. She knew of course, what had happened to Wayne’s parents. That probably explained his behavior as an adult, actually. To lose them in such a violent manner and to witness it at such a young age...that had to leave scars. “You have foundations in honor of them, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered. "The Thomas Wayne Foundation helps fund Gotham hospitals and free clinics in Gotham's underserved neighborhoods, and the Martha Wayne Foundation supports the arts, education and social services in Gotham."

"Did that include Arkham Asylum as well?"

Arkham? Why was she asking about Arkham? As far as Bruce knew, she hadn't set foot near the Asylum since the riot. "Yes, it did, while Jeremiah Arkham was in charge."

Penelope ran her finger around the rim of her glass. "You knew him well? I had just finished my internship when he passed."

Bruce nodded. So, it was Arkham she was curious about. "Very well. Dr. Arkham and I shared the same vision when it came to the asylum. We both saw the primary goal as rehabilitation, and reintegration in society." Then Arkham had tragically, or perhaps conveniently, died. "When Quincy Sharp took over, he made it very clear that his vision was less on rehabilitation and more on punishment. He cut most of the therapies and programs that Arkham and the Board had set up and began implementing stricter regulations. The only patients he wanted to give any resources to were the more high-profile patients."

"The Rogues," Penelope added. "That fits in with my experience. When I was promoted to Head of Research, Sharp was constantly demanding that I focus on curing them, as quickly as possible." To build up his profile, Penelope thought, more than out of any altruistic reason. Back then, she'd been so taken with her position and the challenge that she hadn't stopped to think through any consequences her research may cause. She shook her head. Wayne didn't need to know that.

"I told Sharp that I was uncomfortable with the hardline direction he was taking the Asylum in," Wayne continued. His blue eyes darkened a bit as he continued. "He told me that he was surprised that I cared about the inmates as much as I did, given my childhood."

Penelope felt her jaw drop. She knew how dense Sharp was, but what had possessed the man to say that to the multi-billionaire who helped keep the City afloat? "He said that? Really?"

Bruce nodded. It had taken all of his willpower to not toss the man across the room when that conversation had happened years ago. "Needless to say, my resignation from the board followed pretty quickly."

Dr. Young shook her head. "I can't say that I blame you, after that."

There was a slight pause in the conversation as the waiter returned with their meal. After eating for a few minutes, Bruce decided to press on. Now that Dr. Young had learned what she wanted, he had information he'd like to receive from her and he thought he had the perfect way to do so. "Even though I'm not on the Board anymore, I still help out whenever I can. I actually was the first one to hire Edward Nigma when he reformed."

What he said had the desired effect, as Dr. Young nearly dropped the sandwich she was eating. "You did?"

It seemed as if she and Edward were working together that there was a lot he hadn't told her. "Yes. I saw that he was serious about reform, so I thought it would do some good to give him a helping hand. That was why I became a Board member for Arkham in the first place."

Except Edward's reform had little to do with Arkham itself and more to do with his own willpower, Penelope thought. It was rather telling to her that the longer he was away from the Asylum, the more he improved. The same could be said about her as well. There was something about that place, something broken, almost possessed. It seemed to twist everyone who spent time there, from the patients to the doctors, to the administrative staff and to the wardens themselves. Or perhaps it simply amplified what was already below the surface, merely freeing inhibitions. Then Penelope's thoughts turned away from Arkham and more to what Wayne had said, or rather, why he had said it. He'd been sitting next to her when she'd had her outburst in the chamber. He might to trying to pry for information.

"For what it's worth," Wayne continued. "I agreed with you. I don't think what happened last year was his fault."

Penelope sighed. "I shouldn't have lost control of myself like that in there," she said. "But he did save my life, so I suppose I felt some obligation to stand up for him." Hopefully, that would be a satisfactory enough answer for him.

Bruce carefully considered this. It seemed truthful enough, but there had to be more to it than that. He couldn't harp on the point too long though, lest she get suspicious. "So, what do you think you're going to say in front of the Commission?"

Penelope took a quick bite as thought over her answer. "Well," she said after a pause, "I've done quite a bit of thinking over the last few years since I left the asylum. Given what people have told me and what I've experienced myself, I think I can come to only one conclusion. There's no one person to blame for the state our criminal justice system is in. We've all become stuck in a broken status quo that is unsustainable, and no one wants to take any accountability for it. The difficulties Mr. Nigma's received during his reform is a perfect case study in that. For all the talk that people have of wanting the super criminals to reform, Mayor Sharp included, there was no infrastructure in place if something like that happened. He was essentially left to his own devices after he was medically cleared and most people in law enforcement would prefer it if he did relapse just so they don't have to deal with him." She took a sip of water and sighed. "I'm not going to claim that he hasn't done some terrible things in his life, or that he's a poor, misunderstood victim of circumstance, but treating him as a scapegoat is wrong. And this Commission isn't helping matters any. Did GCPD make mistakes with the Goodman case? Yes, but they weren't the only ones."

Bruce was surprised to hear this from Dr. Young of all people. Surprised, but not entirely displeased. "Nigma succeeding in his reform is a good thing," he said. "If he can, what does that say for the other patients in Arkham, not to mention the other criminals in Gotham?"

"Exactly," Penelope said. "It's a complicated situation and I'm not sure what the answer is. I'm not a sociologist. But Gotham can't continue on the way it has for so long. Some things need to change." Starting with Arkham. After the hearing was over today, she'd need to go back to her notes to begin hammering out what exactly she was going to say. Perhaps, she thought, Wayne could be an ally.

Bruce nodded and the two continued their meal. As well-intentioned as Dr. Young seemed, she'd made serious lapses in judgment before. She'd made some morally questionable choices in pursuit of what she thought was the greater goal. Her and Edward together...that was potentially dangerous.

Aaron's testimony was the last of the day and the shortest. "I just want to say for the record," he said when he was called up to the stand. "That I take full responsibility for what happened in GCPD that night."

There was a large gasp in the chamber and Penelope felt her heart sink into her stomach. She should have guessed this would happen from how Aaron had carried himself this morning, but it didn't make it any easier to watch.

"You do?" Ward asked, confusion in his voice. "How exactly, was what happened in GCPD your fault?"

Penelope heard Aaron sigh. "Before the bomb went off, before Goodman came out even, Nigma burst out of the waiting room and was running toward Interrogation. I stopped him and he said that Goodman was playing us. That the doctor conducting the interview was in danger."

There was another murmur in the chamber and Penelope took a quick glance at the bench the GCPD officers were gathered at. Bullock looked visibly angry at this. "Nigma knew?" Ward continued. "How exactly, did he know?"

Aaron shrugged. "I'm not sure. He kept trying to go around me to get to Interrogation, but I blocked him. I thought he was just trying to cause trouble."

"But he was right," Greene said in a snide voice. "So, you didn't believe him?"

"No," Aaron admitted. "He and I hate each other. We have ever since I was a guard at Arkham and he was still locked up there. I let that get in my head. I should have at least listened to him. Maybe if I had, the doc wouldn't have been kidnapped."

Penelope's face softened. Aaron, it wasn't your fault.

"There still was the matter of the bomb," Ward said. "And frankly, if you had let him run off to interrogation, that probably would have resulted in more bloodshed."

Was Ward defending Aaron? Why would he when he'd been so accusatory to Bullock and Montoya-because Aaron was still a beat cop with less than two years on the force. Bullock and Montoya were seasoned veterans. They were the juicier targets.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ward continued. "But in your official report, you said that you were under the impression that Montoya was still in interrogation? Is that accurate?"

There was a long pause. "Officer Cash," Greene repeated. "We're waiting."

Finally, Aaron spoke. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

"So I imagine if you had known that Montoya wasn't there," Ward said, "You would have taken a different course of action, correct?"

There was another long pause before Aaron said, "Yeah. I would have gone over there if I knew she was alone."

Ward nodded, satisfied. "Officer Cash," he said. "Your loyalty is impressive but misplaced. Your attempt to take the blame for the irresponsible actions of your colleagues frankly makes them look even worse. You're dismissed." Once Aaron made his way back to the bench, Ward spoke again. "That will be all for today. We will reconvene at 9 AM tomorrow, where we will hear from Goodman's former doctor and Arkham staff." The chamber erupted into noise immediately and Penelope got up, pushing her way through the crowd to get to Aaron. He was standing by the bench with the other GCPD officers.

"Aaron!" Penelope almost shouted. "What were you thinking? Your career-"

"Just trying to do the right thing Doc," he said. He sighed. "This commission's got everyone so messed up, I'm not even sure what the right thing is anymore."

"I meant what I told you earlier, Aaron," Penelope said. "It wasn't your fault. None of it."

Aaron let out a rueful laugh. "I know, I know. I'm just glad Nigma's not here. Smug jerk would probably laugh his ass off if he saw us getting grilled like this."

Edward was, at that very moment, facing his own inquisition. Harley had left a few hours earlier, but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek. She'd left and Nina and Deirdre had arrived and were giving his bandaged form a look over. From the looks on their faces, they weren't impressed.

"I swear to God, Boss," Deirdre said with gritted teeth. "If we have to come all the way back here from Central City because you did something stupid one more time, we're taking you back with us."

Edward had to roll his eyes at that. "And what if I don't want to go?"

"We'll tie you up and throw you in the truck," Nina added.

Edward waggled his eyebrows. "Kinky!" Nina responded by giving him a light swat on his right elbow. "Hey!" he protested. "How about some consideration for your poor, wounded former employer?"

Nina huffed, then gave him a light hug. "Don't scare us like that again, Eddie," she said.

Edward returned her hug. "I'm sorry," he said genuinely. "I'll try not to again."

Deirdre huffed, then took the last empty seat on the couch on Eddie's right. Nina was sitting on his left, which meant the three of them were in a tight squeeze on the sofa. Despite his usual aversion to cramped spaces, Edward had to smile. It reminded him of simpler times.

"So," Deirdre said. "When do we get to meet the kid?"

"She has a name you know," Edward said. "And tomorrow night, hopefully. That's when her Grandmother works the night shift and she can get away without me having to deal with the old battleax."

Nina laughed. "Still your charming self with the ladies I see."

Edward scoffed. "Hardly. That woman hates me. I went by the apartment to pick Ellen up once and she was sitting at the kitchen table, sharpening a knife. She made sure I saw her do it too."

"Sounds like my kind of woman," Deirdre drawled. "With that as a grandma and you as her Dad, Ellen must be a lot of fun."

"She's a little demon. Don't let her fool you."

"Sounds just like you, Eddie," Nina laughed again. "Maybe Deirdre and I will adopt her and take her back to Central City with us."

Edward mock pouted. "Oh, I see how it is. You didn't come here to see me, you just came to steal my daughter!"

"He found us out, Nina," Deirdre said and the three of them laughed.

Edward smiled again, the widest smile he'd had for days. God, but he missed these girls. "I think you'll get along with her just fine," he said. "But enough about that. How have you two been? Still getting up to mischief?"

"Oh yeah," Nina said. "We knocked over a few gambling rings and scored over a million bucks."

Edward let out a whistle. "Well done."

"Yeah, it was pretty great. Still," Nina said, giving Edward a hug again. "It's not quite the same without you, Boss."

Edward chuckled a bit. "Much fewer riddles involved, I'm sure."

"And no costumes, like that one time you had us dress up like ducks," Deirdre added. "I still don't know why I didn't shoot you for that."

"You just love me that much," Edward sassed. To tell the truth, Edward had no memory of that caper, like he didn't have memories of most of their romps. It was frustrating, but in a way, Edward almost preferred it. You couldn't miss what you couldn't remember.

Deirdre got up from the couch. "I could use a drink. You got any booze, or do Nina and I have to knock over a liquor store?"

"There's some wine in my pantry," Edward said. "Oswald gave me a few vintage bottles for Christmas in return for me digging up incriminating details about a business rival."

"Sweet." Deirdre moved to the kitchen to pull out a bottle and three glasses. Nina moved to get up, but not before she affectionately ruffled Edward's hair.

"I gotta say, Eddie, even with the bandages, you look better than you did last year. You look happier. Are you feeling better?"

"A bit," Edward sighed. Getting closure about Jonathan had helped. "I'll be fine, Nina. Go make sure Deirdre doesn't drink all my wine." Nina got up to join her girlfriend in the kitchen and Edward leaned to the coffee table to pick up the remote. He remembered that Sharp's Commission had started today. He frowned as he turned on the TV. Perhaps later this week, he'd actually go in person. He flipped the channel to Gotham's main news channel and settled back against the couch as Vicki Vale appeared on the screen.

"In tonight's top news story, Mayor Sharp's Commission got off to a dramatic start today as Blackgate Warden Phillip Ward and Gotham City Councilwoman Ashley Greene attacked GCPD officials for what they described as irresponsible behavior during Victor Goodman's attack on GCPD last December. Especially under fire were senior detectives Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya. Sources tell me that due to the scrutiny received, that we can expect a resignation from one or both detectives...

Edward processed the information while Vale continued on. He smirked. "Good riddance, morons."

#from the case files of edward nigma #PI Verse #edward nigma

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