Gotham City, East End
81st and W. Barr Street
1:25 AM"Hey Captain, look! It's the catch of the day!"
The surrounding officers laughed heartily to themselves at the bad joke as a bound, bloodied and gagged Floyd Lawton was lowered from the streetlamp that he'd been tied to via an operating crane. Captain Gordon had just stepped out of the arriving squad car when he'd heard it and had opted to ignore it, choosing instead to focus on the nearby light source that was beaming a certain symbol across the clouds. Several spectators were lined just beyond the police tape, pointing towards the skies and snapping pictures with their cellphones. Gordon pointed to one of the nearby detectives on the scene and eyed the civillians, giving a clear indication that no flash photography was allowed at an active crime scene. That detective nodded and went to work to dissuade the crowd, giving Gordon an opportunity to follow the light source itself. Eventually stopping just short of the nearby building's entrance, the Captain furrowed his brow as he slowly waved a hand over a nearby decorative shrub, catching the light and confirming his suspicions.
"You. I need a pair of gloves.", Gordon requested, holding his hand out to a nearby CSI tech.
"Guess we've got another one of these to add to the hundreds back at Evidence Lock-Up."Putting on the gloves, Gordon reached inside the plant and produced a small gadget that shot up a focused and particularly bright beam capable of sending out what was the equivalent of a spotlight. Of course, most spotlights didn't have a giant bat in the middle of them, but the Captain nevertheless sighed as he reached down, turned a dial clockwise, and switched it off. Holding it up and inspecting it, visually, he already knew damn well that there'd be no usable prints or any other DNA evidence to pull from it. Nor would it match any known patent submitted by either a major or minor electronics company dealing in similar technology.
"Crazy son of a bitch.", Gordon whispered, handing the device off as it was placed into an evidence bag.
"Bet you're just well and truly pleased with yourself. Turning this city into your own personal sideshow..."Whoever The Batman was, he had somehow covered all of these tracks before, so there was no reason to suspect that he'd begin slipping up now. Not that it mattered, Gordon figured, given that Mayor Thorne had signed the order to assemble Dent's proposed task force to capture the vigilante earlier that day. Agent Nashton had already began evaluating worthy candidates, and Gordon couldn't wait to hand the assignment off to the man, as it laid down a concrete time table for this absurdity to finally end. His inner circle didn't nessescarily agree, as they had wanted to be the ones to capture the Bat, but the Captain knew their prides could stand the wound. After all, Precinct 27 had other cases to pursue. More than a few bigger collars out there to bring down. Batman may have been a good case to break for a few headlines, but his capture brought them no closer to the Five Families.
Feeling raindrops hit his forehead, Gordon reached up and retracted his hand to confirm the moisture. A patch of thunder boomed across the skies. Another storm was brewing. Putting up the collar of his overcoat in response, the Captain turned to oversee the Batman's latest victim in the midst of being processed. He even overheard the words 'broken hand' as he approached. But as Gordon got closer, and got a clear enough look at the outfit that the suspect was wearing, he stopped dead in his tracks and stared, eyes wide. Some of the color even drained from the Captain's face.
It was
him. The same man that Jim had seen in the video taken the night of the assassination attempt against Dent. The one that The Batman had fought off, who had all-but-clearly been the real culprit of a crime that the GCPD, under his orders, blamed the vigilante for in the press instead. Gordon tensed up as the halfway beaten to death hitman was brought to his feet and immediately placed in cuffs. Despite now knowing that the real sniper was off of the streets, all that Jim could think of was what he would say - or rather, what he would
confess - during the subsequent interrogation. And the questions that would be raised if he owned up to being the one to take a shot at the District Attorney.
"I see you got his message, Captain."Nearly making him jump, Gordon angrily turned towards Agent Nashton, who was in the midst of strolling up with that bizarre green suit, bowler hat, and cane combination that obnoxiously made him stand out from the rest of the force. Seemingly satisfied with their unit's job well done as the man known as 'Deadshot' was hauled away, Gordon narrowed his eyes at Nashton as he tipped his hat to the arresting officers.
"Bit of a hard one to miss.", Gordon replied, his eyes shifting back to Lawton.
"He leaves one of these behind every time that he perpetrates an attack. Doesn't matter if it's a mugging gone wrong or a cavalcade of injured triggermen for the mob, he makes sure that we're directed towards his handiwork. Like he's a damned prize fighter who wants to broadcast out to the rest of Gotham whenever he's won a title bout."Nashton raised an eyebrow.
"An interesting analogy, if not entirely without merit. But I have my suspicions that The Batman doesn't leave this, shall we say, calling card behind because he craves the attention. I would actually say that it's for an entirely different, perhaps even more deluded purpose."Gordon continued to stare at Deadshot, right up until the criminal was loaded into the back of the waiting squad car. He could feel the mounting guilt in his chest, watching the vehicle drive away. It wouldn't be long, now. People would begin to suspect what had been done, and they'd easily be able to pin it on him. Loeb would have a field day if he even so much as suspected it. The Commissioner had been looking for an excuse to kick Gordon off the force for years, and a potential scandal presented by intentionally blaming an attack against the D.A. on the wrong man would be just what was needed to pull the rug out from under him.
"You're the expert.", Gordon muttered, continuing to look past Nashton.
"So by all means, enlighten me."Nashton immediately seized his cue, not even wasting a breath to relay the theory. It was almost unsettling to Gordon, the way that Nashton revelled in showing off his own intellect. Like a calculated machine that was wearing vaguely human skin, or an outcast that society wouldn't otherwise have whose sole purpose was to celebrate himself as a genius. It gave him a slightly sinister quality, even whenever what he said made sense. And it went beyond just blowing alot of hot air.
"It's hardly a very complicated assertion, Captain. The Batman wishes to project himself as a supernatural force, or a beast of nature that's descended onto the streets. He seeks to intimidate from the darkest corners, but is smart enough to realize that he can't simply exist anonymously in the era of satellite imaging and cellphones. So in choosing the direct opposition to that path, he came up with this as a declaration. A reinforcement of his own myth. He desires for Gotham to see an image of his making, because in his mind, it is a primal manifestation of all that he represents. Perhaps he even believes, in the bowels of his own fractured psychosis, that the symbol represents his status as something above the law."Lifting his cane, Nashton poked at the badge attached to Gordon's own jacket.
"Very much like this tin monstrosity."Annoyed, Gordon pushed the cane away and began to walk off.
"So your professional opinion is that he's insane. You intend to file a report on that, along with a dossier explaining how the sky is blue?"Nashton smirked.
"Amusing. But no, my point is this. Whether or not he even knows it, it's working."Gordon stopped in his tracks and looked back.
"You seem surprised. But spend so much as an hour on any given social media platform and you'll see that every popular topic involving The Batman includes a headliner image of that symbol. They're starting to print it on t-shirts. There are rumors that a few movie companies want to liscence it out to make him a household name. Public opinion on The Batman is at an all-time high, and I've been struggling to see a downturn in the masses swallowing up these incidents, even in light of what he's been accused of."Sneering, Gordon turned entirely to face Nashton.
"And that doesn't seem like desperation for attention to you?"Nashton shook his head.
"The man is alot of things, but a public figure? I doubt Batman would approve, or even so much as pay attention to how others attempt to co-opt his image. If he did, he might be willing to liscense himself out as a toy in kid's meal down at that one gaudy chain of local eateries. What are those called again? Ah, yes.", the Agent replied, looking disgusted.
"The 'Condiment King'. I was forced to partake of one of their vegetable burgers just the other evening, and it only confirmed that the garbage that those places peddle out to preening masses are exactly why I've been a vegan since I was twenty.""How nice for you.", Gordon dryly responded, uninterested in the Agent's dietary habits.
"But we have a bigger situation on our hands than debating why The Batman leaves behind that giant spotlight wherever he goes. Did you happen to pay attention to the costume that our perp was wearing?"Nashton looked upwards, towards the streetlamp that Deadshot had been strung against.
"I did indeed, and I already know what you're going to say. His word is hardly of any relevance.""Hardly of any relevance?", Gordon snapped back, lowering the volume of his voice.
"We just arrested the man that only you and I know tried to kill Dent. If he talks, there'll be questions and accusations to follow. Not to mention alot of blame to shift around, and it's only going to fall back on one source."Nashton looked at Gordon and sighed.
"Oh please, Captain. Do try and compose yourself. You're overreacting to nothing.""Nothing?!"Gordon grabbed Nashton by the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the adjacent building.
"I could lose my job over this! Worse than that, if they can prove it was deliberate! You and your damned idiotic plan could cost me everything, and for what?! To capture one psychopath in a cape?! I should've reported you to Loeb the minute that you suggested we keep this quiet! We're talking about a federal offense, here, and you seem to be entirely unconcerned with the consequences! So I'd say that this is a little more than nothing!"Despite Gordon's hostility, Nashton remained eerily calm.
"And if you had gone to the Commissioner,", Nashton replied.
"Where would that have gotten you?"Gordon grit his teeth, angrily, but had no response to give. Nashton watched the realization hit him with an immediacy, and leaned forward.
"Go on, Gordon. Tell me what would've happened if your very obscenely corrupt Commissioner of Police would have heard so much as a single negative complaint from you regarding this investigation?", Nashton elaborated.
"Or perhaps the more pressing question is, would it have reached his ears... or Sal Maroni's first?"Releasing the man, Gordon silently cursed himself as he turned around, hoping that nobody had seen his little outburst.
"That is exactly my point. You've been placed into an impossible situation by the rest of this force. You and your entire precinct, infact. And it all hinges on chasing shadows and picking up the scraps that a man in a mask leaves behind. If you actually bought that my sole purpose in Gotham was to apprehend an obstentaciously garbed schitzophrenic and leave it at that, you're as naive as you are impulsive."Nashton stood up straight and straightened out the creases of his suit.
"I knew that you'd accept my proposal despite the merit of your character, and the result of that decisicion is clearly tearing you up inside."
"It's because despite your assertions about The Batman, desperation is the position that you've been placed in."Gordon looked over his shoulder, wondering exactly what the Agent meant.
"You're working a seperate assignment?""A work-in-progress, more accurately. I'm hoping to present a case to level against the corruption in Gotham to my superiors. The Batman case is merely something I'm tackling at their request, as they wanted to make an example of the recent costume culture that's been giving rise to something the government fears could overthrow them. Frankly, all of that nonsensical paranoia disinterests me. Batman is an easy mark and with the task force at my disposal, he'll be one that you can soon check off of a growing list of this city's true problems."Gordon looked at the street and off into the distance, wondering if Nashton was telling the truth or playing him for a fool a second time. If what he was saying was his genuine intent, Gordon saw the possibility for an actual alignment within the system that could benefit him. And such a thing was very rare to find, in this city. Nashton had connections, as he clearly displayed the other night by showing Gordon a direct access point into SHIELD's network database. Who those connections were, he wasn't saying, but they were clearly top-level. And if anything could overthrow men like Carmine Falcone and The Penguin, it was government intervention in their illicit activities.
"So before you go and have a mental breakdown over what could potentially happen should this highly unreliable man in with the sniper rifle talk, ask yourself whether or not that it's even going to matter in a few weeks' time. Because should you find yourself in an unfortunate position with Loeb, it'll only add fuel to the fire of the case I'm looking to build. Should you want to help me light it, of course."Gordon turned back and prepared to respond, only for both men to be interrupted by an all-points bulletin.
"All units, all units, we have a code six-one-six. Metahuman activity reported in The Narrows. The Batman sighted in the area. All units, be advised. Suspect is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous."His eyes going wide again, Gordon reached up to the radio attached to his jacket and pressed it to the side of his face.
"Copy that. This is Captain Gordon, we're on our way."Nashton half-smiled.
"Well, would you look at that? It seems as though you really did have nothing to worry about."Gotham City, The Narrows
Abandoned Lighting Factory
1:35 AM"All of this hiding. All of that earlier bravado, and what do you have to show for it, little Bat? Just an extra morcel of time before the bitter end. You might aswell show yourself now, while it's less embarassing."In the ensuing distraction that granted me the leverage that I needed to get to an appropriate vantage point, Ivy's managed to brush off having a building collapse ontop of her host body without so much as a stratch. ACE is hard at work on something of a hail mary, so I can't check on the status of my own injuries, but the pain is still there to remind me. Definitely risking some internal hemmoraging to go along with the broken rib. Mild concussion sustained from one of Jones' attacks, of which I'm fairly certain I'm lucky. The adrenaline shot has returned some of my energy, but I'm of low reserves. All that I need to do is buy myself some time and implement the plan that could very well prove to be a suicidal endeavor. My hand resting atop The Utility Gun, I cycle through the remaining ammo that I have left. Rubber bullets won't do a damned thing to some of Jessica Jones' physiology. Smoke grenades might buy me some time, but I'm saving them for what's to come. Used up the remaining grapple lines and hooks between this fight and my battle with Deadshot. And as I already found out the hard way, a simple taser isn't going to cut it.
I've come to rely a bit too much on the technology I've culminated over these last few months. The body armor, the gadgets, the computer, all of it. I'm afraid that it's rendered me ill-prepared for something of this magnitude. I trained to be a soldier, and this is open combat at it's most extreme. I shouldn't have to rely on tricks that are meant to disorient and terrify the same two-bit hoods that the Five Families use to keep their operations running. I could already tell from the moment that I chose to engage in combat with a known metahuman - this is going to be a learning experience. Provided I live through it, of course.
Keeping myself pressed tightly against the upper floor of the building that I miraculously managed to lure Ivy in Jones' body, I keep a sharp eye out for any sort of conduit that I can use to enact the distraction that I have in mind. Ivy's at the bottom floor, scanning the area. It's impossible to know whether or not Jones possesses the ability to see in the dark, but I think it's unlikely. I'd already be dead. Eventually, she moves on and begins to toss heavy machinery out of her own way like it was made of paper. With each crashing sound, I advance to the left a little quicker. I just noticed that there's a circuit breaker on the level just below me. Might be just the sort of thing I need right now.
Using the same trick that I utilized against Deadshot to throw my voice to the other side of the factory, I confirm my prescence in a bid to keep Ivy distracted.
"I've found that the shadows have always been more inviting."Ivy turns, her clearly agitated features represented in Jones' face.
"It's funny, I just had a conversation about this very subject recently, with the trigger-man. You and I are of a different breed. You need the darkness because it fits into the whole giant winged mouse thing that you have going on. I can respect that. But plants require a light source, and I intend to cast a very bright light onto Gotham that will make the rest of it grow in tune, in the only way that it should. Under my thumb."Taking my chance as she's thrown by the direction that the voice modulator emulated, I drop down onto the second floor platform as silently as possible. Slowly, I approach the circuit breaker and peel off the aluminum covering. I take a step back and shield my face from the resulting dust cloud, not wanting to risk giving myself away with a sneeze. And immediately begin to switch on the lights, the circuits leading into the equipment, and every electrical power source that I can possibly identify. The factory lights up beneath me with a brightness that forces even Ivy to shield herself from.
"Funny. I was just thinking of the old addage. Be careful what you wish for."Adjusting her eyesight to fit the brightness of the room, Ivy laughs to herself, scanning the upper floors again. This time, it's harder for me to stay hidden. So I don't attempt to do so, despite every instinct that I have telling me that it's a bad play. Instead, I leap atop the metal railing and allow my cape to drape over me, staring her down and hiding just what I've got to use against her. ACE has a little under a minute to go. I can only hope that it's enough to keep me alive.
"Very bold of you, little Bat. I see that in your final moments of living, you've embraced my way of thinking. A wise move, all things considered.", Ivy taunts.
"It's such a shame that in doing so, you sealed your own fate. Just such a shame. I was starting to enjoy this."Immediately grabbing a piece of machineary that's three times larger than my own body by it's hinges, Ivy uses Jones' strength to rip it from the ground and immediately hurtle it towards me. Diving ahead, I just barely manage to escape being crushed as it smashes through the metal platform and sends an array of sparks and electricity flying throughout the area. Grabbing onto a nearby ledge, I vault over it and toss out a series of batarangs. Not because I think that they stand even
remotely of a chance to hurt Jones, but because I need the extra window of time and the number of distractions are becoming limited.
One slices through Jones' jacket, but doesn't draw blood. Another heads directly for her face, to which she grabs out of mid-air and squeezes, rendering the titanium finish to the projectile as nothing more than a mess of twisted, misshapen metal. The third and fourth, she smacks at, sending them flying across the room. The fifth grazes her across the cheek, but it also does nothing to hurt her. The sixth and final batarang comes flying at her from a lower trajectory, and she attempts to block it with her hand.
To my absolute surprise, that one actually illicits pain, as she gasps and clutches the side of her hand. The fingerless gloves that Jessica Jones is wearing seem to stain with a small trace of blood, even. And that's when it hits me - that hand was the same one that she used to catch the bullet meant for Harvey Dent. Deadshot used a high powered round to try and pull off the kill. She's
not invulnerable, after all. Just immensely powerful and very hard to hurt.
"Having trouble?", I call out.
"Maybe you picked the wrong body. She's strong, but not as invincible as you probably thought.""Arrogant worm,", Ivy growls, lowering the bloodied hand.
"I'll show you just how strong this body really is. Or perhaps more accurately, how very multi-faceted..."Assuming a stance that I haven't seen before, Ivy utilizes Jones' body to begin building up some kind of force beneath herself. The factory rumbles, not unlike a small earthquake, forcing me to hit the ledge with a hard fall. Reaching up to get my bearings, I lean against the metal railing of this platform and pull myself up...
...Only to be staring Jessica Jones directly in the face.
Hovering above me, not unlike a predatory animal waiting to feast upon it's prey.
Christ. She can
fly.
"It seems that Miss Jones has quite a number of gifts you probably weren't aware of.", Ivy threatens, as she hovers closer.
"I'm going to enjoy testing out as many of them as I can in the midst of your evisceration."Despite the overwhelming shock of this unwelcome new development, I sneer back at the woman who intends to kill me in with a measure of defiance. Making sure to back away towards the railing behind me as I do.
"Perhaps. But all that depends on if you can catch me."Intentionally pushing myself over the ledge, I reach out and grab another railing to help swing me up into arc. Ivy turns in mid-air and flies after me as I somersault into the air and spread my cape so that the para-glider fibers activate. It propels me into a glide, which I use to dodge the oncoming Jones as she tries to snatch me from the air.
Heading directly for a wall, I maintain my glide into an upwards swoop and kick off of the concrete, backflipping off of it just as Ivy directs Jones directly through the concrete itself.
Now or never, Bruce. You're not gonna get an opportunity like this again.
"Ace! I need a status update!"Your request is currently standing at 98% proccessed, Mr. Wayne.Ninety-eight percent. A precious few seconds to complete, as long as the connection remains established. And given I'm running ACE off of a telecommunications fiber hook-up connected to a satellite with internet speeds well past FCC standards, but hidden on a private databank, that doesn't seem likely anytime soon.
Rushing to the main power generator of the factory, which I've isolated through my heat-signature lenses, I leap forward and slam my boot into the access panel, giving it a proper dent. Using both hands and as much strength as I can bring forth to rip open the steel containment door, I kick the rusted hinges apart as hard as possible until I can feel it loosening. Then, with a pull that's even harder than before, I remove it and stand aside, leting it fall to the ground with a loud clang.
As this happens, Ivy bursts back through the other side of the wall, hovering above the factory entrance and glaring down at me. I don't look back, even though I know that she'll be on me in a matter of seconds. Instead, I get to work in unhooking as many of the power cables to the generator as I can, attaching them to the wiring inside of the hidden panels of both my gauntlets.
There's a decent amount of insulation in my suit to prevent an electrocution, but there's only going to be so much for me to work with. And with the power I hope to generate, I had better pull this off as quickly as possible.
Just as I finish, I feel an iron-tight grip wrap itself against the back of my skull. Ivy tosses me aside, mercifully unaware of the cables attached to my gauntlets or what purpose that they serve. After staring me down in a hover, she lands, clearly ready to end this once-and-for-all.
"Enough games. Enough taunts or playful banner. You're becoming too persistent in living, and I can't have that."I simply watch as the progress meter that ACE is feeding me finally reached 100%. It took some time, given that this model of the A.I. wasn't meant to be able to crack such a heavily fortified firewall so soon, but I finally managed to break into the Gotham City Power Grid. ACE immediately allocates the specified amount of electricity that I requested into the generator of this factory, making my gloves begin to glow with an electrical pulse.
Given that I already tried the shock gloves, I figured it was past due for me to try them again. But with a hell of alot more potency. Rubbing my fists together to build a charge as if they're emergency room paddles, I push myself to my feet as Ivy looks around, confused at the flickering lights infront of her.
"What you have..."Getting to my feet, I immediately charge her with a hard uppercut. The power that's coursing through my gloves is enough to send Jones' body flying back, in contrast to every previous attempt that I made to land an attack.
"Doesn't concern me!"I won't lie in admitting that it feels good. It feels pretty damn good, actually, aftering hearing Ivy's incesscent taunting throughout this. But one punch isn't going to solve this. Using the non-electrified palm of my glove to produce The Utility Gun, I switch the setting to smoke pellets and fire off a succession of them just as Ivy pushes Jones' body back up. I already tried smoke once with her, and had minimal effect. But if I keep her distracted, that won't matter. The goal in this isn't to beat Ivy. It's to get through to Jessica. To give her back the power over her own actions.
"Jessica Jones!", I call out, with electricity flying from my knuckles.
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm asking you to trust me! You're capable of fighting this off, but you have to focus!"As soon as she emerges from the smoke, I deck her across the face with another highly electrified punch. She falls hard against the ground. Which is hardly surprising, given that I'm using half of Gotham City itself to fight against her.
"Think, Jessica!", I continue.
"I've read up your file! I know that you're a private investigator! You specialize in cases of female abuse, so I know that you came here to help a woman and her child, and nothing more!"Ivy glares up at me with hatred and slams a fist into my chest. I go flying back into an abandoned workstation, nearly feeling as though my chest cavity wants to cave in under the pressure. But I fight through it, as she advances on me.
"I also know why you came to Gotham! You have time that's unaccounted for in New York! Nine months!"Ivy stops. Though at this point, I'm not entirely sure that it's Ivy whose in control.
"You never went to the police! You disappeared without a trace, and yet you decided it'd be better to move across state lines than to face what happened! You were afraid of something, Jessica! What was it?!"The green begins to fade from her eyes, and she grasps at her forehead with both hands, seemingly beginning to fight off Ivy's influence. There's a trauma, there, that I stumbled onto in reading up on the SHIELD dossier that Alfred gave me. The one that included all of the redacted information from Jones' childhood.
About how she wasn't born with these abilities, but acquired them through some form of experimentation as a teenager. How she wasn't even born Jessica Jones, but Jessica Campbell. A change made to her name after a horrific car accident rendered her an orphan and placed her under foster care.
I know what it's like to carry at least one of those burdens. It can be a powerful trigger to bring forth memories imprinted on the mind's eye whenever it's brought back to the forefront. That's what I'm counting on to bring Jones back from this.
"No, damn you! Damn you, I won't let you have her!"Enraged, Ivy smashes Jones' fist against the floor, creating a crack that leads directly to me. I roll out of the way as the surrounding machineary explodes, sending me flying forward. Ivy grabs me by the back of my armor and tosses me ahead, sending me directly into another wall. By the time I fall to the ground, she's already bringing out her fist to smash me into the pavement. Starting to lose my window of opportunity.
"You had a brother!"Jones' eyes widen, and the green almost completely fades from them.
That's it.
That's the key.
"He died in the car accident. What was his name, Jessica?", I ask, pushing myself to stand.
"Think! What was your brother's name?! You know the answer, not her! Think about that day! Think about your last memory of him when he was alive! What was his name?!"At first, the eyes go green again.
"What makes you think that I give even somewhat of a damn about this girl's corpse of a..."But a single tear begins to flow down one of the eyes.
Jones is starting to break through.
"...His name..."Now both sets of eyes are tearing up, as she begins to pound at the sides of her temples.
"Goddammit. His name. What was his..."She stops.
"Phillip."Jones turns back to me, the tears streaming down her face.
"His name was Phillip."I don't know what to say to her. I try and reach out for some measure of support, but hesitate whenever I see the green begin to subtlely appear within her irises. Ivy's still in there, and despite what I had previously believed, no amount of willpower is going to sever the connection. I'll have to do something even more drastic.
"Listen. We're running out of time. Your mind has been coerced by a powerful metahuman that calls herself Poison Ivy. If I'm going to break her hold over you, I need your permission to do something that you're not going to like."Jones rubs the tears away, still shell-shocked from the memories I brought flooding back, and silently nods.
"I'm going to have to knock you out."Closing her eyes, she lets out a heavy, pained sigh.
"Just get the bitch out of my head."Preparing my gloves once again, I steel myself for something that's going to take alot of work. And alot of strength that I don't have. The electricity brightens as I close my fists together, watching as Jones readies herself for a beating that she has to endure without putting up a fight.
It doesn't give me any measure of comfort to do this, but it's for the greater good.
And if I can free Jessica Jones from the prison she's currently found herself in, I'll take whatever chance I have to.
"I'm sorry."
"This is the only way." 
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