Day 391 in "No Man's Land"
In his apartment Riddler looks at himself in the mirror, puts an Ace card in his pocket, picks up a submachinegun, and leaves.
Oswald has his attendants put on his makeup and glasses…z and gun.
At a bar, Harvey drinks and contemplates his shotgun.
Jim puts on his badge, picks up a gun, and leaves his office.
All four men come together and go to the GCPD officers waiting on the barricade. Jim tells them to fire on his command for Gotham, and they open fire on the men charging the wall below.
Day 87
On the radio, Jim tells a man at the other end that after the bridges blew, all of the criminals grabbed what territory that they could. Oswald raided the government stockpiles and repurposed a factory to produce ammunition. He used his resources to make himself unassailable. Barbara and the Sirens control an area around their club and she trades mainly in information. Men can buy windows of time there, and Barbara enforces her rules with an iron hand. Scarecrow controls the territory to the west, Fries is further north and warring with Firefly, and Jeremiah has disappeared. The GCPD controls a ten-block area around the precinct while they feed 130 civilians. Jim insists that the government has a duty, and the other man says that everyone who stayed in the city after the evacuation is no longer the government's responsibility. The man says that a committee is being formed and then breaks contact.
At the hospital, the doctor tells Bruce and Alfred that Selina needs an operation before her spine collapses. He says that she has to be evacuated, but figures that they have no choice but to operate. Crying, Selina agrees, and Bruce says that he'll be there the entire time.
The civilians complain to the police that they're starving while the police get more than their share. Lucius assures the civilians that everyone gets the same share, but the troublemaker leading them doesn't believe them. Jim comes out and tells anyone who doesn't like the rules can leave. The troublemaker and his group walk out, and Lucius tells Jim that they only have a month of food left at most. Jim figures that the government will eventually do the right thing, and their job is to keep themselves and everyone else alive. Harvey wonders what happen if one of the criminal factions makes a move, and Jim doesn't have an answer for him.
On a rooftop, Riddler wakes up and finds a dog growling at him. It walks away after a moment, and Riddler carefully backs away. He goes to his apartment and makes a video recording that he has no idea what happened to him in the proceeding hours. Riddler tells Edward to show himself, and wonders what he's doing controlling him while he sleeps.
That night on the rooftop, Jim turns on the spotlight and Bruce joins him. Jim tells him that they're low on supplies and the government won't evac or send help, and Bruce tells him that he gave Lucius to raid the Wayne Enterprise R&D for whatever will help. Bruce tells Jim about Selina's condition, and they agree that they're glad that they stayed before Bruce leaves.
At the Sirens club, Penn tells Barbara that Oswald is offering ammunition for steak. He denies any shortages, but Barbara knows better. Tabitha asks Penn why Oswald hasn't left his citadel since the bridges fall, and Barbara doubles the price. When Tabitha objects, Barbara tells her that they need the ammunition to protect the women coming to them looking for safety. Tabitha takes one of the bullets that Penn brought and tells him that Oswald will regret giving it to her, and Barbara triples the price.
Two officers man a gate, and one worries that something is out in the shadows. Scarecrow appears and spray him with fear gas, and offers to make it stop if the officer opens the gate. Once he does so, Scarecrow and his men charge in and take what they came for.
Jim meets with Harper and goes over the maps of the area to plan reinforcements. The lights go out and Jim goes to the generator and sends word to have Lucius meet him there.
At the hospital, Bruce and Alfred are watching the surgery when the lights go out. The backup generator comes on, but Bruce figures that something is wrong. A nurse reports that there are men in the basement stealing medicine, and Bruce tells Alfred that Lucius gave him something for the darkness and goes down to deal with the situation.
Jim arrives at the generator and discovers that someone has destroyed it. Scarecrow attacks him, and knows that Jim is low on bullets. Jim says that it's not worth wasting a bullet, holsters his gun, grabs a pipe, and demands to know why Scarecrow is there. Scarecrow admits that he's there to take Jim's life as well as supplies and attack Jim. The two men fight and Jim manages to throw him into a steam pipe. Screaming in pain, Scarecrow runs off.
Harvey and his men drive the intruders off but not before they steal food supplies.
Using IR goggles, Bruce takes on the thieves in the basement and takes them out one by one. The lights come on and Bruce is blinded, and the thieves escape.
Later, Harvey tells Jim that the civilians are furious. Lucius warns that they only have a week's worth of food and Jim tells him to cut everyone to half rations. Harvey insists that the people outside have to help. Bruce arrives and says that he'll fly in supplies, and Alfred has already radioed to have it delivered. Jim warns that it's a one-time solution, and Bruce says that Scarecrow's men stole medicine from the clinic and there are people in pain. Harvey and Lucius go to tell the people that food is coming, and Jim assures Bruce that Selina will pull through.
Back at the hospital, Selina tells Bruce that the operation was a success but she'll never be able to walk. Bruce says that there's hope once they join the mainland, and tells her that medicine is on the way. Selina reminds him that Jeremiah shot her to get to Bruce, and what did her in was being his friend. She wishes that Jeremiah had killed her and turns away. Bruce has no answer and walks away. A nurse is watching and tells Bruce that Selina needs the Witch.
Harvey tells Jim that the civilians are hanging in, but if the helicopter doesn't arrive with the supplies then it will get bad. Jim insists that it will come.
At the mayor's office, Oswald has his men provide a brace for his leg. Penn comes in and says that there's been another shutdown at the factory when a worker passed out from hunger. Oswald tells him that he'll feed his workers but he doesn't have the supplies, and then complains that his steak is overcooked. Penn points out that the quality is down and the ammunition is misfiring, and Oswald hears a helicopter in the distance.
Tabitha tells Barbara that she has to make things right for Oswald killing Butch by killing Oswald. Tabitha looks up and hears the helicopter.
On the GCPD roof, Jim and Bruce spot the helicopter and the pilot radios that he'll meet Bruce at the rendezvous. Someone fires a missile at the helicopter and Jim has Harvey take a team to secure the crash site in Lo Boyz territory. Alfred is there but Bruce isn't, and Jim asks Alfred to keep an eye on things while he's gone.
The Lo Boyz are stripping the chopper of supplies when Oswald and his men arrive. He tells the leader, Nando, that he's there to claim the supplies. Nando refuses and Oswald has his men gun the gang down and load the supplies into their truck. Jim and his men arrive, and Oswald cheerfully greets him. Unimpressed, Jim tells him and his men to step away from the chopper. Oswald denies shooting down the chopper, while up above Bruce moves into position. Harvey warns that they're outgunned, and Tabitha opens fire with a crossbow and kills three of Oswald's men. She grabs Oswald, aiming a gun at his head, and Oswald says that Butch's blood is on her hands because she killed Gertrude. Oswald calls to Jim, saying that he's keeping the city from falling into the abyss.
Tabitha fires the gun but the bullet misfires. Oswald draws a knife and stabs Tabitha in the chest, and Barbara, just arriving, screams in horror. Tabitha whispers to Barbara not to do it, and Oswald runs off as Barbara draws her gun and shoots at everyone in sight, screaming in fury. Oswald's men take cover and fire back, and the police open fire. They run out of ammo and Oswald realizes it.
Outside, Bruce takes out Oswald's men guarding his truck. Once they're down, Bruce gets into the back of the truck and takes a case of bullets.
Oswald moves around and shoots Barbara in the arm. Meanwhile, Bruce arrives with bullets from the truck. While they reload, Oswald asks Barbara that he doesn't want to kill her, and asks if they can move beyond the whole Butch-Tabitha thing. She refuses, and Jim tells Harvey to cover him and steps out to propose Oswald a deal. Jim offers Oswald 50% of the chopper if he lets Barbara leaves. Oswald pistol-whips Barbara unconscious and tells Jim to leave. Jim asks what Oswald will do if the government finds out that he called the police. Oswald figures that they'll do nothing and points out that Jim is out of ammo. Harvey opens fire and Jim shoots Oswald in the leg, and Oswald's men take him out.
The police take the supplies to the station house and Harvey points out that Jim could have killed Oswald. Jim admits that no one is coming to help them, and Harvey tells him that they win or they die. Once Harvey leaves, Bruce comes over and says that he's going to the hospital, and Jim arranges a ride for him. As Bruce goes, Jim tells him that he's earned a police there and can help.
Ecco looks at a map of the criminal territories. A woman calls on the radio, asking for Jim.
Jim gets the transmission and the woman says that he has allies across the river and they'll find a way to help him. When Jim asks who she is, the transmission goes dead. Drawn on the map is a smiley-face with the words "Ha ha ha" forming a broad grin.
Riddler wakes up in a dumpster in an alley. He returns to his apartment and plots out the locations where he's woken up, and yells at Edward to show himself.
Barbara takes Tabitha's body to the club and gently kisses her friend goodbye. She then covers Tabitha over and promises that she will kill Oswald if it's the last thing she does.
A doctor removes the bullet from Oswald's leg, and tells Penn to put out the word that he'll play 100,000 rounds of ammunition to whoever kills Jim.
At the hospital, the nurse from earlier visits Selina. She leaves a cart with a scalpel behind, and Selina crawls over. Bruce hears her screaming and runs in as the staff help Selina off of the ground. Selina tells Bruce that she has no reason to live, and tells Bruce that they should have let her do it. The doctor tells Bruce that she was trying to kill herself and goes to get restraints. The nurse from before comes in and tells Bruce to go to the Witch to get a cure, and Bruce asks where he can find her.
Jim orders his men to question all of the incoming refugees about Jerome. Lucius reports that they now have six weeks of food. The troublemaker from earlier brings in a boy who says that he came in from past the train station, and says that someone is killing their brothers and sisters and Jim needs to help them. The troublemaker takes the boy, Will, to the clinic. The officers turn to Jim, who says that they're there to give the people hope that someone will come, and tells them to suit up.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 4, 2019