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"If we catch Kira, he is evil. If he rules the world, he is justice."
— Light Yagami (Death Note)
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<(Omniscient POV)>
In the depths of Gotham's restless morning, a single notification buzzed across the city's underbelly like a ripple in a storm. Countless phones lit up in dingy hideouts, sprawling police precincts, and even the polished offices of corrupt officials at the same time. Gangsters, cops, informants, crooked lawyers, and basically anybody with deep relations to Gotham's massive criminal underworld saw the same set of notifications on their phone that day- a message from their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts alerting them about a new video titled 'My Final Orders' being posted by someone under the alias of Black-masked Roman Sionis.
As they clicked on the notification to play the video, it began with a shaky image, the camera adjusting to focus on Sionis sitting in a dimly lit room. His trademark black skull mask lay on the table beside him, his face worn and pale, the signs of pain etched deeply into his weary features. His voice, however, carried the same commanding tone that had made him such a terrifying figure in Gotham's underworld.
"Good morning, Gotham," he began, his lips curling into a mocking smile as if he was muttering some inside joke. "I never thought I'd make a video like this, but life has a way of surprising you." It looked like Blackmask was having trouble breathing, like drawing even a single breath was a strenuous task for him.
Finding it tough to keep speaking in his current condition, the leader of the Falsefacers criminal gang visibly leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table for some support.
"I know a lot of you might have questions about the current condition of my health. You see, I had an... unfortunate run-in with the Chinese Triads last night, the dominant gang that runs Gotham's Chinatown. They were gunning for the businesses I had established all over the city and thus staged an attack on me at the Iceberg Lounge. All my security personnel were killed because of the surprise attack, and one of their bullets even found its way into my spine. The doctors tell me I've got hours—days if I'm lucky—before my body betrays me completely. Full body paralysis at best and complete brain death at worst. A joke, really, for a man like me."
Sionis let out a dry chuckle, his eyes narrowing with a hint of bitterness. "I've built a crim.. an empire completely with my own effort, forged alliances that have changed this city's fate, crushed enemies who have even dared to dream of coming after me and everything I have built. And yet after all that, here I am, brought down by one measly bullet." He released a tired, powerless sigh before, out of nowhere, a hungry smile suddenly made its way to his lips, "But for those who think this means the end of my legacy, you're sorely mistaken."
He leaned back, his voice hardening to the signature tone he always used when warning his enemies. "I've made arrangements. As of this morning, I've signed over all my businesses, properties, and assets to someone I've kept in the shadows all my life—someone who carries my blood and my vision for Gotham. My son... Black Hood."
Gasps erupted from viewers across the city. Sionis, a father? And now passing his empire to an heir no one even knew existed? It almost seemed like an overused plot out of a generic, badly written novel.
"To those loyal to me," Sionis continued, "I command you: follow him. Obey his commands. Trust his decisions. He is the future of this family, of this city. I trust that you will show him the same respect you've shown me—because if you don't, rest assured, he will prove himself more than capable of dealing with dissent. He is my successor, and he will rule this city."
He paused, his tone softening. "This isn't how I imagined it would end for me. But... fate had other plans. I'm counting on you all to ensure that... The mask lives on to ensure that everyone who wants to hide their true face behind a false mask has a place to belong, to call home. So, don't let me down."
With that, the video cut to black, signaling that the recording has finally ended.
Within a few moments of posting, the video spread faster than wildfire, lighting up screens across Gotham and sparking a storm of emotions from every corner of the city.
If this video had been released in the same way a decade later, a lot of people online would wonder about how the various social media algorithms were able to initially target only those deeply associated with Gotham's criminal underbelly and why the video never appeared in the feed of ordinary civilians. In that case, they would have attributed this to the algorithm violating their data privacy and collecting so much data on them that it could easily distinguish between normal law-abiding citizens and hardened criminals, or at least wannabe criminals of the city.
However, the year was only 2008, and most of the general population at that time wasn't even aware that social media platforms could collect their personal data through their devices, much less use it to push content for them to consume or spread particular propaganda for them to follow. So, most didn't even think too deeply about the topic and just focused on how this new video would affect the city for the better or the worse.
***
In the smoky backroom of a precinct, a random Detective leaned back in his chair, his lips curling into a sour frown. "Well, there goes our payday. I swear after that damn black knight showed up in the city, it's like our luck has taken a sharp downturn all of a sudden. Blackmask was the only one still paying the big bucks for providing him with information and casting a blind eye to his activities in the area. But now that he is gone, we will have to search for some other patrons," he grumbled, tossing his phone onto the table.
His partner shrugged while flicking through his contacts at this. "New boss, new opportunities. His kid's name is Black Hood, right? Bet he's green as hell. Maybe we can leech him dry before he figures out how things work."
The Detective snorted, pouring himself a drink. "And if he's too sharp?"
"We sell him out to Maroni or the Triads or the Latin American drug cartels or maybe even the Russian mafia. Gotham always has a buyer." seaʀᴄh thё NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
***
In the same precinct as the corrupt Detective, Jim Gordon leaned over his desk, rewatching the video with a furrowed brow for the fifth time. "This might be it," he muttered, pausing the screen on Sionis's exhausted face.
Harvey Bullock, standing by the doorway, crossed his arms. "You think this kid Black Hood's got what it takes to keep the False Facers together?"
Gordon shook his head. "Doesn't matter. If we move now, we can dismantle them before he solidifies his power, and they reorganize. We've waited years for a crack in their armor. This might be our shot. We always wanted to clean Gotham's streets, and the False Facers gang might just be the explosive start we needed. We have missed plenty of opportunities before. I don't want to miss this one as well."
Bulock nodded with a deep sigh before slightly adjusting the cowboy hat on his head, "Let's hit them hard then... And not just the False Facers, let's take out anyone we can. If we are going to try and clean the streets, maybe we should make sure that we do not act biased over what type of dirt we clean, right?"
"Right," Jim Gordon agreed with his friend with a smile on his face. This was the reason why Harvey was Jim's only true friend in the entirety of GCPD. No matter how relaxed and casual he acted, Harvey was always serious when it truly counted. He might have some bad qualities in him, but nonetheless, he was one of the good guys.
***
In a private suite overlooking Gotham's skyline, a City Council member swirled his wine glass thoughtfully. "Sionis stepping down opens a lot of doors for some new faces. He had too much dirt over the city's top brass, like us. After all, he was the biggest threat to our rule after Carmine Falcone. His death might be a blessing in disguise for us, a potential second chance," he mused.
His aide, typing furiously on a laptop, glanced up. "Black Hood's untested. We could leverage this chaos to push through that public housing redevelopment deal. The city won't care if we sweep up a few False Facers in the process. We lost a lot of funds after Bruce Wayne started getting more involved in the city's businesses with his private company. We cannot apprehend the Prince of Gotham without substantial cause, given his high-profile status. However, Black Hood is different, as his father was a known criminal, despite his efforts to conceal his illegal activities. We can sabotage him and his gang to seize his assets or maybe even control him to get back some of the funds."
The City Council member smirked at his aide's words, "Send a few feelers to the kid. If he kneels, we'll keep him afloat. If not, well... accidents happen."
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