Scars & Hearts: The Batman Fanfiction

Chapter Eight

The sound of glass crunching beneath heavy boots alerted the men to his presence.

Gordon's face was grim. Dr. Shorts stood beside him, equally grim, and Bruce couldn't help but feel the expression didn't belong on the ever-smiling man's face.

Wind entered the top floor of Gotham General through the shattered floor to ceiling glass wall. Discarded papers flapped on the floor, lifting and then falling with each passing breeze. 

Every office door was open, and its contents strewn across the floor, ransacked. The secretary's desk that Bruce had seen mere days ago, had been raided, drawers lay broken on the floor.

The two men turned to look at the approaching figure. 

While Gordon's expression remained the same, Dr. Shorts's became one of hesitancy and distrust.

"Should he be here?" Dr. Shorts whispered, eyes darting from the vigilante to the commissioner.

"He's with me," Gordon assured the man before turning to the vigilante himself. "We've got a few minutes before everyone else joins, figured you could use the time to investigate. They ransacked the top floor. Nobody was here, thank God, but judging by the pattern, I think it's him."

"What'd they take?" Bruce finally asked.  

"Hospital records. Computers from every office. They completely ransacked Dr. Shorts's. Took all his folders."

What would a thief of jewels, money, and art want with hospital records? 

Gordon watched as the Batman entered one of the officers, examining the damage.

Bruce turned to the doctor. "What kind of records?"

Dr. Shorts shrugged, clearing his throat, nervously. He rubbed one hand across the back of his neck. "They were just records. Employee records. Applications. Resumes. Some other stuff."

"What other stuff?" He needed specifics. Sure, some could (and would) argue that the thief had taken the employee records in hopes of finding social security numbers and other valuable personal information, but it didn't seem likely... not if this was the man Gordon thought it was. Identity theft felt...beneath him, as ridiculous as that may have sounded.  

"Just research our labs have been doing. Genetics."

Bruce didn't pry though the answer was less than vague. A thief wouldn't be interested in research. 

"You sure it's the guy?" Bruce asked, this time to Gordon.

Gordon nodded. "Positive. You don't?"

Bruce shook his head. "MO doesn't match."

"Cut open the glass, shattered it, dropped in, got what they wanted, left immediately after. Waiting for crime scene so they can check for fingerprints, but I doubt we'll find them. Security cameras were shot, so no footage." 

"Even the computers aren't worth this trouble," Bruce insisted. "This is just out of character. Why would they steal computers and files when they could steal valuable hospital equipment?" He turned to Dr. Shorts once more. "I suppose you can't imagine anyone who'd want to harm the hospital. Any disgruntled employees?"

Dr. Shorts shook his head. "Of course not. Everyone is very happy here."

Bosses always thought everyone was happy. They were delusional.

Gordon's cell phone rang. He answered it, responded a quick "Alright," then closed it.

"You better get going. The rest will be here any minute."

Bruce nodded. 

"Um, if you could please avoid going through the lobby," Dr. Shorts requested, as if the Batman could possibly even think of waltzing out the front door of any building. "The hospital's board and I think it would be better if nobody really knew about this. It could cause panic."

Bruce wanted to roll his eyes. Eventually, they'd find out about it, and eventually there'd be public outcry, but Bruce figured that was what PR agencies were for. 

He nodded.

***

Bruce stood on the hospital's roof, thinking.

Below him, he could see police cars entering the street, lights off for discretion purposes.

He wasn't satisfied with Dr. Shorts's answers. They were vague and generally unhelpful, something Bruce had not expected from the man. 

He'd seemed guarded, but Bruce could not fathom why he would be. 

Suspicion rose within him despite his attempt to simmer it down. 

He thought back to Gordon. Bruce did not think this was the work of the man from the other robberies, but he needed to be sure. Gordon was an excellent detective, and if there was any doubt in Gordon's mind that this was the thief, it was Bruce's job to squash said doubt.

Dr. Shorts knew something, maybe nothing drastically important, but definitely more than he was letting onto. Dr. Shorts wouldn't be the only person with information. There were hundreds of workers inside Gotham General, and somebody had to know something.

 He needed insider eyes, someone trustworthy, and he thought he knew the perfect person for the job.

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Author's Note: Hey, guys. I know I said uploads Mondays and Fridays, but I'm starting to think that schedule won't work. :/ On the bright side, I've written Chapters 9-10 already, so 9 will be up before the end of the week and maybe 10 on Sunday. I've mapped out the rest of the story, so all I have to do now is basically write the corresponding chapters. I write when I have time between classes. Thanks for reading. Make sure you heart this chapter and all that.  - C