The police station was busy, there on the corner, the old building packed with people and activity. This had been the police headquarters for years, the building refitted and restored more than once in the chaos of Gotham City, and the officers who served there were some of the best. And today, one of those best was leaving. Renee Montoya looked good for her age, her black hair touched with gray, a few smile lines around her face and eyes as she smoothly cleaned out her desk. The photos, personal items, they all went into the box she had brought in with her. "Hey," the redhead aproached the desk nervously, the tall young woman looking at the senior officer with more than a bit of fear. "Sasha," Renee looked up, the tense lines of her face relaxing into a tired smile, "you should stay away, you know." "Like hell," Shasha Bullock answered scornfully. She took a breath, "Most of the squad are behind you, Renee, you can fight this...." Renee shook her head tiredly, "No, no point." asha opened her mouth to say something when Renee continued, "I shot Victor Fries, premeditative and in cold blood. I'm lucky just to be off the force, not in jail right now." "Considering what he did....," Sasha started. "Don't," Renee sighed, "I can't talk about this right now." There was a soft clearing of the throat and both women looked up to see the graying older man who was standing in his office door. "Montoya," Comissioner Marcus Driver said tiredly, "could I see you a moment?" "Sorry," Renee said to sasha quietly then turned to walk over to his office, being careful to close the door behind her. She looked at the officer she had known for a very long time and wondered how he felt having to do this. "You didn't need to resign," Driver finally said tiredly, "the police review board would have found it justifiable." "Maybe," Renee agreed, "but I didn't think it was justifiable." She met his eyes, "I went in there intending to kill him, it's just for the grace of God that he fired at me first." Driver made a face, "I hate it that Fries is costing me a good cop, especially considering everything else he's done to you." "If it hadn't been me it would have been some other officer," Renee answered grimly, "it was just dumb luck that he remembered me from when I was outed all those years ago." "We knew he had a vendetta against the Gotham PD," Driver looked haunted, "but nobody expected him to go after somebody's wife." Renee closed her eyes, "Leave it alone, sir." Driver looked at her sympathetically, "You have to talk about it sometime." He reached out and handed her a business card, "Talk to the department shrink, at least." "I'll think about it," Renee answered, reluctantly taking the card. She tried changing the subject, "Had the department decided what to do about Kestrel's involvement?" "With your resignation they're not going to look into how you two worked together to catch up to our Mr. Feis," Driver said grimly, "though I think they should." He shook his head, "Have you decided what you're going to do now?" "What every cop does when they leave the force," Renee said dryly, "I'm going into private investigation." She scowled, "At least this way I can take advantage of all the publicity that those damn media vultutres gave me." "Contact me once you get an office, I'll send what work I can to you," he said. Driver smiled grimly, "May even pay you a retainer to consult on cases occassionally." "The mayor won't like that," Renee noted. "The mayor doesn't have to know about it," Driver flashed a grin. They talked for awhile longer then Renee excused herself, leaving to finish cleaning out her desk. Officers kept on coming up to talk to her, akwardly offering condolences and support to the bereaved woman before returning to their jobs. Finally she walked out the front doors for what might be the final time, pausing to look up at the building before moving on. "Detective," a familiar voice called and Renee winced. Turning she saw a familiar looking black haired woman moving to catch up with her, notebook in hand. "I understand the review board was going to clear you," the reporter said, "why did you choose to resign?" "No comment," Renee said crisply in reply, pushing by the smaller woman and struggling to keep her temper in check. Lynn Tsujimoto was one of a new breed of Gotham reporter, ruthless in persuing her stories, and even worse quite willing to plaster the entirety of someone's private life on the front page. All of Renee's past relationships, her estrangement from her family, all of it had come out in the aftermath of the Freis shooting. The black haired woman looked up at Renee shrewdly. "Is it because you're an out lesbian?" Lynn asked her intently, "The department has been known to be intolerant....." Renee fought back her first reaction. "Do you just make this stuff up?" she asked her irritably. She shook her head, pushing towards her car, "I have no comment." Lynn had a wry smile as she put her notebook away, "Guess I'll have to get a comment from the Commish and Mayor." With a groan Renee dumped her box onto the passenger side then sat in the driver's seat. The car started up smoothly and Renee pulled out into traffic, keeping a wary eye on the other vehicles. When she started out in the force she had worked in traffic patrol and she had a very good idea how bad most drivers here were. There was something in her rearview as she pulled a turn and Renee smiled grimly. She found a deserted side street and pulled over, glad that it was still in a pretty good neighborhood. Cigarettes were a dangerous habit but Renee pulled one out of her pocket anyway, lighting up as she waited against the side of her car. "I must be slipping," the female voice said softly, "to have let you see me so easily." Renee didn't even jump in surprise, she was just too tired and numb. Turning her head she saw Kestrel standing there, the young woman garbed in her usual purple and black uniform, a stylized bird emblem on her chest. "The police won't be contacting you," Renee said tiredly, "the hearing's been called off." "You didn't need to resign, Montoya," Kestrel said to her quietly, "you did nothing wrong." She blended into the shadows of the alley, "I shouldn't have led you to him, knowing the emotional state that you were in." "I didn't give you much choice," Renee reminded her, "I wouldn't give you the information you needed otherwise." She took a drag on her smoke and tried to convince herself that the sting of tears she felt was just due to that. Kestrel looked down uncomfortably, then back up to meet Renee's eyes. "I shouldn't have been away from Gotham so much lately," she finally said, "I've been too caught up with my membership in the Justice League...." Renee shook her head, smoke trailing from her lips. "Freis looked like he had reformed," she said grimly, "he had gone straight. There was no way any of us could know he was going to snap again, not to mention that he'd go after my lover. It wasn't your fault." "Maybe," Kestrel answered, "and when are you going to believe that yourself?" Renee tossed the cigarette to the ground in a sudden burst of anger. "If she hadn't been involved with me she wouldn't have been a target," she burst out, "she'd still be alive right now!" "She loved you," Kestrel said softly, "and you know that she was smart enough to know what she was getting into." She disappeared deeper into the shadows as she added, "Expect a phone call tonight, I have a friend who wants to contact you." Before Renee could say anything Kestrel was gone, leaving no trace of her presence. "And I thought the Batman did that too much," Renee muttered, climbing back into her car. The day passed slowly for Renee once she got home, unloading her surprisingly meager amount of personal stuff from work and making up her dinner. She had learned to recognize the numbers of the reporters easily, but when a strange number came up Renee picked it up. "Renee Montoya?" the unfamiliar female voice asked her, a bit of distortion showing that it was disguised. When she gave her affirmative the woman continued on, "This is Oracle, and I'd like to make you an offer...." To be continued.... AN: Gotham Central is a crime drama series set in Gotham, focusing on the challenges that police have operating in a city full of superheros and villains. Renee, a character from the Batman series was 'outed' in a storyarc involving Two-face, whom had developed an unhealthy obsession with her.
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