On the roof of Wayne Tower, the Bat-Signal blazed to life.
A massive shadow of Batman stretched across the night sky.
The beam cut through the thick clouds above Gotham, standing out sharply against the city's endless darkness.
On the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper, Commissioner James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department stood concealed in the shadows, watching Wayne Tower.
He was the one who had activated the signal.
This city had become something he barely recognized.
Everything felt unfamiliar, distorted, and wrong.
The criminals who once ruled Gotham's streets were locked away. The underworld lived in constant fear. It should have been everything he had ever wanted.
So why did he still feel uneasy?
Why was he afraid?
As those thoughts weighed on his mind, Gordon pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
His gaze drifted across Gotham's silent streets.
"That's it," he muttered.
Looking over the eerily empty city, he whispered, "It's too quiet. Too peaceful. So peaceful it doesn't even feel like a city anymore. Anyone who truly knows Gotham would find this silence terrifying."
He lowered his head and took a drag.
The familiar scent of tobacco filled his lungs.
Then his expression changed.
A violent coughing fit erupted from his throat.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
He doubled over as overwhelming weakness surged through his body.
Pain spread from his lungs through his chest and spine, reaching all the way to his head.
Each cough felt as though countless iron spikes were tearing through him from the inside.
The suffering struck like a tidal wave.
For several minutes, he remained bent over, coughing uncontrollably.
Only after leaning against a nearby wall and slowly crouching down did the pain finally begin to subside.
Breathing heavily, Gordon stood again and rubbed his chest.
The unnatural redness on his face gradually faded.
He looked toward the shining Bat-Signal.
Activating it had been his idea.
It was his final attempt to find the missing Batman.
Even if it attracted Homelander's forces, he had no choice.
Time was running out.
"Commissioner Gordon, you don't look very well."
A voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Gordon turned around.
Floating silently in the air were Superman and a teenage girl.
Both were watching him.
"Superman?!"
Gordon's eyes widened in surprise.
Of all people, he had not expected the Bat-Signal to attract Superman.
"It's good to see you, Commissioner Gordon."
Clark and Simone slowly descended onto the rooftop.
As they approached, Clark smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately, the Gendarmerie will probably be here soon to arrest you for frightening the public by appearing on a rooftop in the middle of the night."
Gordon stared at him.
"Is that so?"
He pulled another cigarette from his pocket.
"Because I disrupted Homelander's perfect world?"
Shielding the lighter from the wind with his coat, he ignited the cigarette.
Click.
The lighter snapped shut.
A cloud of smoke escaped Gordon's lips.
"You're not here to arrest me, are you, Mr. Superman?"
"Of course not."
Clark shook his head.
"I stand with Batman. In a sense, that puts us on the opposite side."
"Good."
Gordon nodded.
"At least I don't have to worry about being taken away tonight."
After slipping the lighter back into his pocket, he extended his hand.
"James Gordon, Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. Batman's ally and friend."
Clark shook his hand firmly.
"Forgive my earlier attitude," Gordon continued. "I didn't know your intentions."
Clark smiled.
"No offense taken."
Afterward, Gordon turned toward Simone.
Simone shook his hand as well.
"I'm Simone. You can just call me Simone. I'm Superman's friend."
She glanced awkwardly toward Clark.
Even now, being introduced as Superman's friend still felt strange to her.
Clark's purpose in coming to Gotham was straightforward.
He wanted to establish contact with the commissioner.
No one understood Gotham better than Gordon, and his knowledge could become invaluable to the resistance.
More importantly, the Gendarmerie had already noticed the Bat-Signal.
For Gordon's own safety, Clark needed to convince him to stop taking such risks.
As Simone shook Gordon's hand, her ability activated unexpectedly once again.
A vision flashed before her eyes.
She saw Gordon's death.
A brightly lit room appeared.
Glass windows surrounded the chamber.
One of them had been shattered, allowing fierce wind to howl inside.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Gray flashes of lightning illuminated James Gordon's blood-covered face through the dirty glass.
The sound of crashing waves echoed outside.
It was a lighthouse.
Gordon sat bound to a wooden chair beside the rotating beacon.
Complex optical machinery loomed overhead.
Brown electrical wires wrapped tightly around his wrists, fastening him to the armrests.
His ankles were secured to the chair legs in the same manner.
A strip of black tape stretched across his forehead, anchoring his head against the signal light's rotating mechanism.
He could barely move.
Blood and grime covered his face.
A tall, thin man slowly approached him.
The man was completely bald.
No eyebrows.
No eyelashes.
His skin looked unnaturally smooth.
One of his slender hands held a long fish-gutting knife.
He studied the rusted blade with admiration, as though examining a priceless treasure.
The knife smelled faintly of fish.
"Let me go..."
Gordon's voice was weak.
"Who are you? What do you want? I don't have anything you're looking for."
His head drooped.
The light in his remaining eye gradually faded.
"That no longer matters."
The bald man spoke calmly.
His accent sounded distinctly European.
Without warning, he thrust the knife into Gordon's left eye.
The blade did not penetrate deeply enough to reach the brain.
The man had deliberately held back.
Gordon screamed.
The knife was slowly withdrawn.
A sickening sound followed.
The bald man's lips curled into a disturbing smile.
He admired the damage he had caused.
Then Gordon suddenly looked past him.
His remaining eye widened.
"Batman?!"
Shock filled his voice.
The bald man instinctively raised the knife again.
This time, he aimed for Gordon's remaining eye.
He intended to finish the job.
But before he could strike, a shadow exploded forward.
A fist crashed into the side of his head.
The knife flew from his hand.
His body staggered.
Batman seized his arm and hurled him forward.
The bald man slammed violently into the wall.
His arm snapped with a sickening crack.
"Crack!"
He screamed in agony.
Batman answered with another punch.
Silence followed.
"Batman... It's really you!"
Gordon stared in disbelief.
His old friend had vanished for so long that many believed he was dead.
Yet here he stood.
Alive.
"You're injured. You need immediate treatment."
Batman ignored the excitement in Gordon's voice.
He quickly bandaged Gordon's ruined eye and prepared to take him to a hospital.
"No."
Gordon stopped him.
"Not yet. There's something important. Check my left pocket."
Batman reached inside.
It contained only a pack of cigarettes.
Gordon's trembling fingers accepted the pack.
He pulled one out and lit it.
The cigarette shook as he raised it to his lips.
"This city has been waiting for you."
He inhaled slowly.
"You won't let it down, will you?"
Batman remained silent.
Gordon leaned against a fish-scented wooden table.
Smoke drifted into the air.
His voice grew weaker.
"You've carried too much responsibility alone while resisting Homelander."
"Stop talking."
Batman's rough voice emerged from behind the mask.
"I'm taking you to the hospital."
Gordon slowly shook his head.
"No... it's too late."
He exhaled another thin stream of smoke.
"My lung cancer is already in its final stage. The fact that I've survived this long is enough."
The cigarette slipped from his fingers.
It landed on the floor.
His body suddenly slumped forward.
His head nearly struck a nearby toolbox.
Batman caught him before he fell.
Trembling, Batman gripped Gordon's cold hand tightly.
Outside, rain poured against the lighthouse.
Lightning illuminated the room in brilliant white flashes.
For a brief moment, it revealed Batman's jaw.
Water trickled from beneath his mask.
Whether rain or tears, no one could tell.
"Hah!"
Simone gasped sharply.
The vision shattered.
She jerked her hand away from Gordon's as though she had touched fire.
Gordon noticed her reaction but said nothing.
After releasing her hand, he simply stepped aside.
Once he was out of earshot, Simone turned toward Clark.
"Clark, can you check Commissioner Gordon's lungs?"
Clark frowned.
He did not understand why she was asking, but he trusted her.
Activating his X-ray vision, he examined Gordon's body.
Moments later, his expression changed dramatically.
What he saw shocked him.
"Commissioner Gordon."
Clark's voice became serious.
"There are extensive abnormalities in your lungs. You need medical treatment immediately."
Gordon looked at him quietly.
Clark continued.
"The cancer has likely spread throughout your body. It appears to be extremely advanced."
===
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