Better to be remembered in history [Thorne]

[Deleted]

Edward never was a fan of the old criminal empire of Gotham City. They were far too predictable and quite stupid in his mind. It was the reason the Batman was able to come in and basically wipe them out.

As he walked into the old restaurant that was known to be Thorne’s daily lunch spot, he made a disgusted face as if this was almost beneath him. He had his reasons for seeking out the old crime boss. It would help in his overall plan to destroy Bruce Wayne, and what would benefit him the most was the fact that no one would ever expect him to enlist the help of a crime family. Normally, it was the crime family enlisting his perfect detective skills, not the other way around.

He walked in wearing a simple dark blue suit, nothing that would be at first glance recognizable. He couldn’t have people making the connection so easily. As he stepped in the diner, all eyes turned to him like a shark taking in a school of fish. He was on their territory now, but that hardly bothered Edward.

He walked in confidently, his cane clicking to the ground as he made his way to the back table where Thorne sat with his group of thugs protecting him.

“Riddle me this, what’s crumbling with each passing day?” he smirked.

[Deleted]

The lunch crowd had come and gone leaving but a few solitary individuals hunched over the counter, nursing their coffee. Thorne's usual table granted a clear vantage of the entrance and exit via the mirror opposite the booth, but the angle ensured reclusion from both. Like so many meals at the Madison, his plate sat untouched.

Nigma's message had been cryptic as per usual, his purpose undisclosed. Though Thorne despised Gotham's nouveau méchants and their ilk for bringing Batman into being, he was able to appreciate that the Riddler had acclimated on some level, carving out a nice, neat little niche within the city's criminal stratum. Nevertheless, what would the peacock implore of the owl?

He tapped his pen against yesterday's Gotham Globe, not bothering to look up as the bell above the entrance gave it's sharp, shrill jingle. He could feel the air about him change as his men turned and stiffened. The diner was dead silent.

“Riddle me this, what’s crumbling with each passing day?”

Thorne gave the Riddler a cursory glance over the rim of his glasses before returning his attention to the half-finished crossword puzzle in front of him. "I hate riddles."

[Deleted]

Gotham City had its taste of crooked politicians for many years, and even after the Batman’s appearance, they still managed to weasel their way through the cracks to their thrones where they foolishly sat comfortable with no worry of tipping off. Thorne was one of those very men who used his power to manipulate criminal business to his benefit, like a coward hiding underneath their blanket for security.

His lip pursed in annoyance as the man seemed to barely notice his presence. “Four across is infidelity. Seven down is gerrymandering,” he started listing off the answer to the crossword that he had finished in five minutes this morning. “Come now, this one was hardly challenging, but I suppose I didn’t come to critic your below average skills at crosswords, I have a proposition, I believe you might be interested in, Councilman,” he smirked at the last word, as if the title was somewhat outrageous.

Edward wasn’t involved in politics. Each politician was more idiotic than the next. He saw little point to their nonsense arguing, and their regulations to “help” the consumers and citizens. They were only creating a façade for the ignorant and punishing the intelligence. He had firsthand experience with it when he had been working in stocks. However, they could be useful.

He pulled out the chair with his cane, and took a seat across from the man.

[Deleted]

Visibly irritated, Thorne dropped his pen onto the paper and sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. He tightened his mouth as the Riddler sat. I have a proposition for you as well, Nigma; start talking or my boys'll shove that cane up your ass sideways.

The rogue's words were whetted and the councilman considered an equally sharp retort. His temples drummed and a long, slow, pulsating pain began to set in at the base of his skull. Did he swallow his pride and cross the Rubicon or trade insults and hasten towards impasse?

He leaned forward, but kept his arms folded. "Let's get something straight," Thorne rasped. "I'm not your crony. Save your puff and pretense for the Bat." His voice had steadied. "I'm all ears, Edward." He sighed and settled back in his seat, gesturing for Nigma to continue. "Let's hear it."

[Deleted]

For as intelligent as Edward was, he could be fairly oblivious to when he started to annoy his fellow acquaintances in criminal activity. After all, they were all stupid, so they should be appreciative when Edward graces them with his intelligence. It would make no logical sense for them not to idolize his pure intellect. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his tootsie pops. He hadn’t been eating them as reoccurring as he did when he had been dealing with the ample amount of pain on a daily basis, but he still had a craving for them on occasions, especially when talking business.

He pulled off the wrapper as Thorne hissed his statements at him. He might not be his crony, but at the end of the day, he was just another pawn in the game Edward played. He placed the lollipop in his mouth, taking his time of enjoying the flavor before finally responding to the man across from him.

“I think we can both agree that the GCPD held much more use ten years ago than it does now with these goody twoshoes flooding up the system. It's simple really, I suggest that the City Council votes to dismiss Commissioner Gordon from his position,” he smirked, his features basically suggesting this would be the most easy thing in the world to happen.

[Deleted]

The peacock continued to preen.

Gordon. Thorne unfolded his arms and set his hands on the table. And there it is...

While the Gotham City Police Department was hardly the shining beacon of moral fortitude Nigma seemed to imply, there was no denying the force was considerably less accessible than it had once been. The councilman respected the commissioner's determination and grit, but detested his intransigent nature, his uncompromising acumen. Some degree of criminality - professional courtesy - was essential to order; Jim Gordon took bleach and blowtorch to every proverbial stain and seam when he took office.

"Unlike you, Edward, I consider subtlety a virtue - and, more often that not, still find our boys in blue quite helpful." He tilted his head and feigned a smile. "Ten years is a long time. Those who cling to the past cannot create a future."

There are other means to reach desired ends. Thorne had contacts within the department, but used public policy (and opinion), department policy (or lack thereof), internal affairs (and flings), and budget considerations (and disregard) to exert his influence. His roots ran deep - but he had yet to act against Gordon outright.

"Still... You raise a potent idea. There are plenty of viable candidates who would play ball. Gordon doesn't even own a glove." He steepled his fingers, tapping his thumbs together. "We needn't worry about the votes; I am the city council." He brought his hands under his chin. "No recent polls, but - even with constant hammering of family trouble and his outright support of vigilantes - I promise you his approval rating is as high as ever. Do we make the fatted calf a scapegoat? You wouldn't have called on me without a plan."

[Deleted]

Edward suspected that Thorne would be easily convinced. After all, this was something beneficial to both of their goals. For Edward, it was cutting the Batman off from his reliable resource within the GCPD. By the end of everything he wanted Mr. Wayne to feel completely alone. He wanted him to have nothing.

His smirk turned into a full grin as the man walked through his own ideas of how to bring him down. Edward listened carefully like a father hearing out his nine year old son’s ideas of traveling to the moon. He listened, but he knew that the strategy was imperfect.

“I have already taken steps to ruin his public opinion. He will soon be labeled as a corrupt cop and with the evidence, not only will you be able to vote him off, but I am sure we can have a judge convict him,” he smirked, reaching over and grabbing one of the fries on his plate.

“I just want to make certain that you’re aware because I suspect his ‘friends’ in the GCPD will try to hide the evidence,” he stated, bringing the fry to his mouth and chomping on it.

[Deleted]

Fate hammers out her sword, forging it in time. The councilman ceased tapping and held his hands still, resting his jowl on a knuckle. He listened intently, his gaze held firmly on a faint mustard stain on the beige tablecloth - becoming suddenly aware that he was unable to recall the last time he actually finished a meal at the Madison.

Thorne glanced up at Nigma at the fleeting insinuation regarding a verdict. He held sway with half the judges in Hudson and Gotham counties, but couldn't just shout "Sic 'em!" and point a finger. "I'm sure you've covered said 'steps' and discarded any trace of the trail," he straightened his posture. "I don't presume to preach, Nigma, but I'd like to remind you that this isn't some untempered, green parvenu; this is Jim Gordon. Should we traffic in lies, however convincing, the scales cannot be tipped by mere words."

As Nigma continued - his words slightly encouraging, but a far cry from enlightening - and snatched a chip, Thorne eased back against the seat a second time.

"Almost certainly." The force wouldn't sit idly by for the commissioner's crucifixion. "Though I would think the police would be the least of your concerns." Batman wasn't the only self-appointed shepherd watching over the flock and, while each had their own patterns and pose, they all had something in common: a knack for disruption.

He cocked his head. "What would you ask of me?"

[Deleted]

He brushed his hands off after eating the fry, leaning back in the chair causally and crossing his legs. Edward had the ability to appear relaxed and collected even with dealing with men who held access to a large network themselves. Edward, however, saw the older man for what he was, an idiot grasping for straws of the old days. He hardly saw him as a threat.

He listened to him, laughing at his lack of faith in what he was basically handing over to him all wrapped up with a bow ready for him to open. “Words hold far more power and influence than any weapon that could ever be created. After all, it is words that lead us to war. It is a persuasive line that can convince people to swallow the poison punch. It is a phrase that can light a fire patriotism to a man to walk into a battle. It is poetry that can wrap a person’s mind into desperation or the false sense of love. And after someone passes, do we not think of the last words we said to them? Anyone can speak, but it takes a true man of intellect to understand the value of the spoken and written word, and if used not in the careless way of an unappreciated deviant, but rather as a tool to shape the reality into what you perceive is best, you have all the power you ever hope for,” he spoke clearly, as if he might be speaking to a child still in school rather than a Councilman. His hands clasped around his knee.

“A man without words is not a man at all,” he stated, and if he were to know what would happen to him in the future, it would be quite the irony, but at the moment, he held an ire of confidence.

The question made him smile. “Quite simple, a child could determine. All I ask, is for you to do what the public will want you to do, which is to be a councilman seeking justice for our fair city of Gotham.”