What Is Hope?

Gordon gripped the steering wheel tightly, listening to the deafening crash behind him and the gunfire that had abruptly ceased. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Under those circumstances, Two-Face Harvey had no chance of surviving.

The irony was that these parasites entrenched in Gotham City like malignant tumors had now become Gotham’s last hope.

But this was clearly not the time to think about such things. Facing the oncoming Parademons, Commissioner Gordon once again displayed the superb driving skills of his younger days. He weaved toward Gotham Hospital in a zigzag pattern, constantly evading their attacks.

Snatching up his already loaded pistol, Gordon shattered the windshield and kept firing at the Parademons ahead. Several Parademons clinging to the hood were instantly shot in the head and fell away.

"Don’t think you can stop me, you freaks!"

Gordon slammed down on the accelerator and roared in fury.

"I’m not retired yet, you bastards! Gotham is my city too—I’m part of it!"

More and more Parademons filled the road ahead, until Gordon’s vision was nearly swallowed by the endless swarm. His speed gradually began to slow.

Bullets were finite, after all. Besides, he had no time to reload. Before long, Gordon had emptied his weapon, and several Parademons seized the opportunity to pounce again.

They landed hard on the hood, their sharp claws gripping the edges of the side mirrors. Their other hands reached into the car for Gordon, trying to rip the fearless old man open.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, something sliced through the air. A black Batarang traced an arc through the sky before burying itself directly in a Parademon’s head, dead center.

"Cover!"

A familiar woman’s voice rang out. That single word was like a signal flare. Instantly, fierce gunfire erupted, and bullets rained down upon the Parademons like a storm.

Watching the battle blaze before him, Gordon’s tense heart eased slightly. The Parademons in front of him all turned their attention under the barrage of firepower and charged toward the hospital.

Commissioner Gordon recognized the owner of that voice. It was Batwoman, a member of the Bat-Family and one of Gotham’s heroes.

He had never understood why war had suddenly broken out in Gotham, nor had he known Batman’s whereabouts. Gordon had desperately wanted to know where those heroes had gone. Now that he had heard Batwoman’s voice, he finally had a direction.

The police cruiser was already battered beyond recognition. Dragging its ruined body along, it lurched and crashed through Gotham Hospital’s first line of defense.

His vision shook constantly as Gordon saw some of his officers and gang members holding their positions firmly. They fought against the overwhelming Parademon army while pouring out fire to cover him.

At the outermost edge of the defensive line, Batwoman, wearing a red wig and a Batsuit, stood amid the Parademons.

Countless Batarangs carrying miniature bombs flew through the air. Every explosion precisely took out at least two Parademons, but those losses were insignificant compared to the size of the swarm.

Gordon hit the brakes, grabbed an assault rifle, and leaped out of the driver’s seat. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately joined the fight.

"There are heavy weapons in the trunk, hurry! We can’t let these monsters overrun this place!"

After firing several shots at the distant Parademons, Gordon turned and shouted at a familiar-looking officer beside him.

At his words, several nearby people hurried into action. They opened the trunk of the police cruiser and found several heavy guns and ammunition. They could not compare to the real high-end stuff, but they were all Gordon had to offer right now.

"There should be plenty of firepower stored in the Batcave too, but getting to it will probably be difficult." Seeing Gordon successfully make it inside, Batwoman hurriedly withdrew.

She had been fighting continuously for a long time. If she did not rest for a while, her strength would soon be completely depleted. By then, even retreating from the battlefield would be difficult.

Hearing Batwoman’s voice, Gordon asked anxiously, "Where’s Batman? Why haven’t I heard anything about him from beginning to end?"

"I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything either." Batwoman Kate panted heavily and continued in a trembling voice. "I can’t contact anyone. Ten minutes ago, I lost contact with Batgirl."

"…" Gordon’s mouth fell slightly open. He stared blankly at Batwoman, unsure what to do.

Batwoman was not in much better shape herself. Gordon noticed a vicious wound on her leg, still bleeding steadily. She must have received it while fighting the Parademons to cover him and the others.

"…What about the others?" Gordon asked.

"The last time I contacted the Titans, they were fighting Parademons in Metropolis. That’s where the Parademons are focusing their main attack, and the pressure there is far worse than it is here."

At that, Kate’s expression darkened. "…Don’t count on reinforcements. Their situation won’t be much better than ours. Kryptonian blood was injected into the Parademons’ bodies. Once our kryptonite runs out, we’ll die."

Lowering morale was the greatest taboo in war, so Batwoman could only say those things to Gordon. If she told everyone else, no one would have the will to keep defending the line.

"How many people are here?" Gordon could not help asking.

"Patients, doctors, and people who came here seeking refuge—more than two thousand in total," Batwoman replied. "Most of our fighting force is made up of nearby gang members, along with personnel from a few security companies."

"Where did you get your kryptonite?" Gordon asked again.

"Heh." Batwoman gave a self-mocking laugh. "Thank Joker. He used a radio broadcast to reveal the kryptonite stockpiles he’d previously hidden all over Gotham. Most of it is artificial kryptonite, but it still works well enough."

"So that’s it. I suspected it when I saw Black Mask and Bane’s firepower. Other than Joker, there aren’t many people in Gotham who could produce that much kryptonite." Gordon let out a breath.

"But it’s still not enough. There are too many Parademons. This kryptonite will barely hold back the first wave. Night will fall soon, and their attacks will become even more ferocious then. This kryptonite is only a drop in the bucket." Batwoman sighed.

"Wait, you said there’s still a huge amount of firepower stored in the Batcave, right?"

Suddenly thinking of something, Gordon spoke.

Batwoman nodded. Then she immediately understood what Gordon meant and shook her head in refusal.

"…Impossible! I can’t leave these people here to die, and I definitely can’t let you—"

As a member of the Bat-Family, Batwoman Kate naturally knew that Gordon was Barbara Gordon’s father. How could she possibly allow her comrade’s father to stay here and wait for death?

However, before Batwoman could finish, Gordon raised a hand and cut her off.

"Kate, this is not the time to hesitate."

"You…" Kate’s eyes widened as she stared at Gordon in disbelief.

But Gordon did not care about her gaze at all. He merely smiled and continued.

"Gotham is about to fall, and so is this place. You know that aside from you, no one can break through the encirclement of those monsters. Not a single person left here will survive, but we can’t give up hope."

"And you are our hope."

As he spoke, Gordon raised his hand and placed something in Kate’s palm.

"Want to take a gamble?"

Feeling the cold object in her hand, Kate’s heart began racing.

"If Bruce isn’t dead, tell him—"

Gordon spoke each word slowly and clearly.

"—avenge us!"

The light bulb hanging from the ceiling swayed gently.

Barbara placed a coin bearing faces on both sides onto the table. Its surface was stained with long-dried blood, which had turned black after weathering for so long.

"…This was the last thing my father left behind. Kate gave it to me when we met in the Batcave, and Riddler detonated the bombs while covering our escape…"

At that point, Barbara, overwhelmed by grief and rage, covered her face and could not continue.

Around the round table, everyone’s gaze converged on the coin, their hearts filled with complicated emotions.

The entire new Batcave fell silent.