Without a hitch (rp thread for work_with_it)

[take_mychances]

[Takes place about 3 weeks after last post].The beginning of the evening was going off without a hitch. Dalia was at City Hall, in the auditorium usually reserved for City Council meetings. The mayor was up on stage right behind his press secretary, Eric Sheehan, about to be introduced. It was a 'town hall'-style meeting, so security was in full

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[work_with_it]

"Everything look good so far?"

"Just fine, sir," James Gordon replied, unable to smile the way Detective Damian Layton did. Layton was confident in himself and in his men, and James knew them all well. There wasn't any trouble on the inside, he was sure of that, but he also knew criminals were smart. His increasingly common talks with Huntress had taught him that.

Already, his career seemed ready for advancement. His "instincts" were good, often leading to concrete evidence and a few solid arrests. Some had gone free, but his captain had waved them off. Just the way the system works, he'd told James. Of course, James hadn't revealed the source of those "instincts," and the vigilante encouraged him not to do so. There were some whispers about a new vigilante, yes, but she wasn't ready to be seen in connection with the police, and a rookie officer wasn't the kind of person who should reveal a connection to a vigilante.

Perhaps that was part of that reason he was worried tonight. Between Dalia's concern about police protection and the concern of Huntress over this event, James was on guard. The officer glanced at the blond young woman from where he stood and smiled to himself. Those two women would get along. Hell, if they didn't look completely different, he'd have wondered if they weren't one and the same.

[take_mychances]

The press secretary began to turn toward Andrew Stephens.

"And now, the Mayor of--"

In a matter of seconds, many things happened all at once.

Dalia's eyes had been trained on the stage. She saw the mayor turn in toward the press secretary, Sheehan, as he was about to be announced. Just as Sheehan was about to form the first words of his sentence -- "And now" -- she saw the deputy press secretary, Nick Bruce, sitting behind where the other two men stood, do something odd. He had a look of determination on his face as he gazed into the front row, then he ducked. In the time it took Dalia to follow his gaze, to a man sitting in the front row, the man had pulled a gun and began to fire.

The press secretary was hit first, blood spreading quickly on his crisp white shirt as he crumpled to the ground. The mayor was hit next, though it wasn't immediately clear where he'd been hit as he fell back. The shooter fired a few more shots, warning ones, almost, aiming at nothing and everything at once. It didn't appear anyone else had been injured, since everyone on the platform had scrambled to the ground after the first two shots.

The crowd began to flee, the shooter momentarily lost among them, at least to untrained eyes.

Dalia and Jake had both hit the ground at the same time. Now, Jake was scrambling for the exit. Dalia, however, was crawling to the front of the stage as fast as she could, skirt and heels be damned.

[work_with_it]

"Holy shit."

Layton's words registered first in Gordon's mind, even though the shots had started first. Not another word was said. Layton hurried into the crowd to track down the shooter while other officers present tried to at least guide the sections of the panicked crowd. James mounted the stage in an instant, along with one of Layton's men, Detective Peter Barrett. Barret-- and others, no doubt-- radioed for ambulances, checking the press secretary for a pulse.

James, his gun out in case of more fire, hurried toward the mayor. He glanced up and saw Dalia, motioning toward the side of the stage. One of the officers there-- most coming to check on the mayor as well, probably-- one of them could help her navigate the throng of people looking to get away. He looked back at the mayor. At least the wound didn't look fatal, but he wasn't a doctor. "Andy?" he said, not worrying about protocol and formality right now. "Andy, can you hear me?"

[take_mychances]

It was a shoulder wound - not fatal, but painful as hell. Andrew was in a bit of a daze, but he managed to blink up at James. "I'm okay," he winced.

By that time, Dalia was up on the stage, crouched down. She scanned the area briefly. The other employees who'd been on stage and had ducked were still clutching the ground or sitting down, waiting for some sort of all-clear signal. Nick Bruce looked weirdly calm amidst the chaos. The scene from moments earlier played over in Dalia's mind. Something was off. Well, obviously - there'd just been an attempt on the mayor's life and the press secretary--

"He's dead," the cop leaning over Sheehan said.

She would've crumpled right then - Sheehan had always been nice enough and Dalia worked with his staff all the time - if she hadn't caught the satisfied look on Nick Bruce's face. He caught her gaze right as she saw him and Dalia quickly averted her eyes.

Quickly, she was kneeling by Andrew's side, opposite James.

"Dalia," the mayor said with a bit of effort as he looked up at her. "You all right?"
Dalia nodded, taking his hand. "Not a scratch. Jake's okay, too. Think he went out to help with crowd control..." Her tone was easy, but her eyes were troubled as she looked up, deliberately catching James' gaze. "Nick Bruce." Her voice dropped, barely audible.

[work_with_it]

James nodded to the detective near Sheehan. "Can you keep an eye on him until the bus arrives? I'll check on some other members of the staff." He looked back at Dalia, catching her eye to make sure she knew he'd heard her a moment ago. He knelt in front of a few of the others on the stage before he knelt by Bruce. In a would-be casual tone, he said, "You okay, Mr. Bruce?"

His hesitant smile made it clear he knew it was a silly question. The man had just witnessed an assassination, possibly an attempt on someone else as well. From the way he spoke and the look on his face, he didn't look suspicious of the deputy press secretary at all, just concerned.

[take_mychances]

Dalia gave James a worried look before turning her attention back to the mayor.

"What's going on?" Andrew wanted to know.
"Officer Gordon went to talk to Nick," Dalia said, taking over putting pressure on the mayor's shoulder wound from where James had left off. "Nick Bruce. He looks...not himself. I'm sure everyone's probably in shock."
"You don't seem to be," he said, feeling a little lightheaded. "You're going to mess up your blouse."
Dalia managed a little laugh. "I don't have time for shock. Wasn't that one of the requirements when I took this job?"
He smiled up at her, about to lose consciousness.

Meanwhile, Nick Bruce looked at James with trepidation. Oh, he was trying to keep it hidden, but the usually-wily man was feeling a bit of pressure all of a sudden.

"I'm fine," he said. "I'd like to be able to leave so that I can handle the media coverage and make sure the rest of my staff is all right."

He'd forgotten, in his carefully planned-out exit strategy, to mourn his just-killed boss.

[work_with_it]

James kept glancing back at the mayor... and at Dalia. He also constantly looked around, watching the area. He gave an uneasy chuckle to Nick, no doubt from the strain of the situation.

"We're going to need everyone to come to the station to let us get a written statement." He'd said that to each person he'd spoken to. No reason to let Nick think anything was up, but... He surprised himself with the thought, but he trusted Dalia. If she thought something was up here, and her naming him meant she did, he'd trust that thought, make sure it was investigated.

[take_mychances]

"I have a duty to the people of this City," the man insisted.

It was at that statement that Dalia flinched. She looked down at the mayor, who'd fallen into unconsciousness, then looked over at James again. "Officer Gordon," she called, trying to sound overwhelmed and a bit frantic. "I need a little help here..." She indicated the mayor's wound, which she still had her hands over.

[work_with_it]

"We'll get you right back to work," James promised. He was allowed to lie in this situation. "We just need a statement from everyone, especially everyone up here. Won't take more than ten minutes once we're at the station."

He got up then and went to Dalia, this time kneeling so his back was to Nick. James frowned, checking for a pulse on the mayor almost instinctively. As long as he was still alive, he wouldn't panic. After confirming that, he looked back at Dalia.

[take_mychances]

She said something loud enough for Nick to hear - something about not being sure if she was applying enough pressure, but the look in her eyes indicated her words were for show. As she leaned in closer to James, pretending to watch him show her the correct way, she murmured, "He ducked before the shots were fired, before the gun was drawn."

[work_with_it]

"Surprised you're not fainting at the sight of blood," James said, shaking his head, but he had a similar look. That was meant for Nick, not for her. He leaned close when she did, presumably to show her how to properly handle the wound. "There were several cameras," he whispered. "I'll make sure we get every tape and find one with a good vantage point to prove he ducked before the shots were fired."

[take_mychances]

Dalia frowned at him. Can't you do something now? her look said.

[work_with_it]

He read her look easily. "It's call 'due process,'" he muttered under his breath. "The best I can do is get him down to the station and stall him while someone else checks the tapes and then we can arrest him. One person's account with nothing to corroborate it? Is not probable cause."

[take_mychances]

Except that behind his back, Nick Bruce was attempting to leave the scene.

Dalia jerked her head in his direction.

[work_with_it]

"Shit," James muttered under his breath.

He turned and called, "Mr. Bruce! I'm going to have to ask you not to go anywhere." Even as he said it, James started to rise, ready to give chase if it came to that.

[take_mychances]

"The public is going to be awaiting a statement," the man said, "Someone has to give it."

Just then, the paramedics rushed in, going straight for the stage.