Given George Stacy's wisdom and experience, his primary goal when facing an entity as indefinable as Batman was not the naive pursuit of "binding him by the law."
Please. When you don't even know if the being in front of you is human, trying to forcibly shove American statutes down their throat? George Stacy knew all too well that this wasn't some heroic "Americans Save the World" blockbuster.
"I don't care where you came from, who you specifically are, or what myth or legend birthed you," Stacy began. "I care about your behavioral patterns. You have embedded yourself into New York's judicial chain: apprehension, evidence gathering, and delivery."
"I concede that your efficiency far outstrips that of the police, but that presents a problem: an unsupervised force of violence is partially supplanting public authority."
Commissioner George Stacy stood his ground. Batman did not move from the edge of the rooftop, and Stacy did not approach him; the two remained separated by a steady distance of about ten meters.
"You are well aware that many of the arrest warrants you sign never even reach certain people's desks," Batman's voice was low and powerful. "Even if they did, how much manpower could you actually mobilize?"
"The soil of crime breeds new life every second. You can never fully eradicate it. You are managing the wound; I am attempting to excise the lesion."
Commissioner Stacy managed a tight smile, unwilling to debate the philosophy with him.
"From a personal standpoint, I'm almost glad New York has someone like Edward Cullen around. But from a policeman's standpoint, I still believe you shouldn't be doing this."
Who is Edward Cullen?
The thought flashed through Batman's mind, and he quickly received the answer from George Stacy. "Right, you've read that novel Twilight that came out last year, haven't you? Edward Cullen is the protagonist."
Batman lapsed into silence. He hadn't read Twilight, nor did he have the slightest clue what kind of fellow Edward Cullen was.
Seeing Batman's lack of response, George Stacy shook his head inwardly. He had intended the comparison as a subtle jab regarding why Batman was frantically searching for a "five-foot-five woman with a good figure" tonight.
But since Batman had no reaction to Twilight, Stacy quickly discarded the plot points he had recently overheard from his daughter, Gwen Stacy.
He re-evaluated his words.
"However, I didn't come to see you tonight to argue right and wrong. I'm here to assess the risk."
"If you lose control—if one day you decide to stop handing criminals over to us and start executing them—then I will view you as New York's greatest threat, regardless of the circumstances. In a worst-case scenario, I will petition the New York government to deploy the military."
The statement was a threat, yet Batman felt no hostility toward George Stacy for it. Commissioner Gordon had once said something very similar.
"I have no authority to judge a non-human entity, but I have a responsibility to prepare for the worst. That is my duty as the Commissioner of Manhattan," Stacy declared.
Batman broke his silence, sensing the underlying meaning in the Commissioner's words. "What is it you want to ask?"
George Stacy had many questions, but his most pressing concern was this:
"A week ago, on Rykers Island, thirty-one inmates were killed. Was that you?"
"No."
"I choose to believe you," Stacy said, exhaling a sigh of relief. "But I will still work to gather evidence, and I hope the ultimate result proves you didn't lie to me."
As long as Batman denied it, he and the Manhattan North PI would not be enemies for the time being. Otherwise, George Stacy would have had to initiate an apprehension plan immediately, regardless of his personal leanings.
"Second question: You went to great lengths tonight to interrogate those criminals in search of a woman. What is your intent?" the Commissioner continued.
"That is none of your concern, George Stacy," Batman said, calling him accurately by name.
"It is my concern. I need to remind you that there is a suffix to my name: 'Commissioner,'" Stacy replied. "After tonight, all of New York will be buzzing about what you've done tomorrow. I have to give the public an explanation."
Batman fell silent again.
He was Batman. He wasn't going to fabricate an excuse for George Stacy's career; that was a problem for the Commissioner to solve himself.
Fortunately, as Stacy watched Batman's silence, he frowned in thought for a moment before his eyes lit up. He had figured something out.
"Wait... was the entire purpose of your actions tonight to make sure this story got out?"
Batman watched George Stacy and gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
Stacy's spirits rose. "Perhaps I can help you find her. Just give me her name. If you have a description, it's even easier—"
"No," Batman refused with a single word.
Batman's goal in finding Black Widow involved SHIELD and Hydra—two organizations he distrusted to an extreme degree, even viewing them as enemies. Under no circumstances would he involve George Stacy further.
George Stacy was a good cop; Batman had known that within three days of arriving in this world.
But that didn't mean Batman trusted him a hundred percent. Just as Clark Kent was an incredibly kind man with the highest moral standards, Batman still kept secrets from Superman.
The atmosphere grew heavy. As the night deepened, the wind turned icy.
Batman had the Arkham suit, Peter Parker's constitution, and a formidable willpower to resist the cold. George Stacy did not.
Stacy pulled his uniform jacket tighter around himself. Realizing he wasn't going to get any more information out of Batman, he changed the subject.
"I can't endorse your methods, but at least while you're pursuing your goals, you're using criminals as your leverage rather than innocent people."
"I need you to maintain your current pattern—no permanent injuries, no executions. That is the sole prerequisite for obtaining the cooperation of the police... at least Manhattan North... or at the very least, me."
"Of course, even for me, it can only be passive cooperation. Your wanted poster is still active at the NYPD. As long as you operate in New York, it stays up."
"To put it simply: though I still can't be sure if you're human or if the law applies to you, you cannot be allowed to take a life. That is my bottom line, Batman."
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze